PHYSICAL  TRAIN  ING 
FOR  WOMEN 

•BY  JAPANESE   METHODS 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Class 


By   H.   IRVING    HANCOCK. 


Japanese  Physical  Training 

(Jiu-jitsu).     I2mo.     19  illustrations.     Net,  $1.25 

Physical  Training  for  Women 

By  Japanese  Methods  (Jiu-jitsu). 

I2mo.     32  illustrations      .         .         .     Net,  $1.25 

Physical  Training  for  Children 

By  Japanese  Methods  (Jiu-jitsu). 

I2mo.     32  illustrations      .         .         .     Net,  $1.25 

Life  at  West  Point 

I2mo.     With  25  illustrations    .         .     Net,  $1.40 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS 
New   VorK  London 


No.  1.      RESISTANT  WRIST  WORK. 


Physical  Training 
for  Women 

By  Japanese  Methods 


BY 


H.  Irving  Hancock 

Author  of  "  Japanese  Physical  Training 
"  Wfe  at  West  Point, "  etc. 


Illustrated  from  photographs  by 
A.  B.  Phelan 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  and   London 
•Knickerbocker  press 
1904 


COPYRIGHT,  1904 

BY 
G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 


Published,  April,  1904 


"Cbc  ftnfcfeerbocfccr  press,  Hew  Corfe 


TO  THE 
AMERICAN  WOMAN 

AND  TO 
HER  ENGLISH  SISTER 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED  BY 
THE  AUTHOR 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

The  Basis  of  the  Japanese  Physical  Training  that  is  In- 
tended Especially  for  Women — Absurdity  of  the 
Existence  of  the  "  Weaker  Sex"  ...  I 

CHAPTER  II. 

Additional  Preliminary  Exercises  for  the  Development 

of  the  Body 22 

CHAPTER  III. 

Advanced  Work,  to  be  Taken  up  after  a  Few  Weeks 

of  Preliminary  Training  .  .         .       36 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Especial    Exercises    for   the   Waist-Line   and   for   the 

Organs    ....  ....       51 

CHAPTER  V. 

Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser  in  Womanhood — Some  Other 

Suggestions  . 66 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Exercises  for  the  Back,  Especially  for  the  Small  of  the 

Back  8 1 


vi  Contents 

CHAPTER  VII. 

PAGE 

The  Perfect  Chest— The  Best  Development  for  the 
Hollow  of  the  Back,  and  for  Giving  Strength  and 
Proper  Proportions  to  Arms  and  Legs  ...  96 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Strength  in  the  Neck,  Upper  and  Lower  Arms,  and 
Wrists,  the  Thighs,  Upper  and  Lower  Legs,  and 
Ankles in 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Obesity  and  Leanness,  and  the  Remedies       .         .        .126 

CHAPTER  X. 

Our  Outdoor   Sports   for  Women,  as   Seen   from   the 

Japanese  View-Point 134 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Sleep  and  its  Value 142 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Age  at  which  Girls  should   Begin   the  Study  of 

Jiu-jitsu 147 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

RESISTANT  WRIST  WORK     .        .        .       Frontispiece 

THE  STRUGGLE 10 

"  Walking-beam  style." 

RESISTANT  NECK  WORK 12 

RESISTANT  SHOULDER  WORK 14 

RESISTANT  BACK  WORK  ;   NO  FALL  TO  BE  ACCOM- 
PLISHED     16 

RESISTANT  WORK  WITH  HANDS  OVER  HEADS      .        .  18 

THE  UP  AND  DOWN  MOTION  OF  THE  WRISTS       ,        .  20 

RESISTANT  WORK  AROUND  THE  HIPS  ....  22 

RESISTANT  ANKLE  WORK 24 

THE  RESISTANT  WORK  DONE  FROM  SIDE  TO  SIDE, 
VICTIM  RESISTING .26 

THE  RESISTANT  DRAG 32 

Each  student  shoving  her  whole  weight  against  the 
other,  the  work  to  be  continued  until  one  has  con- 
quered. 

J| 

RESISTANT  ANKLE  WORK     „ 34 

While  seated  on  floor  and  leaning  back  on  hands. 


viii  Illustrations 

PAGE 

"THE  TRAVEL"  .        .        .        .    *  .        .        .        .36 

THE  ASSAILANT  LETTING  THE  VICTIM  OVER  BACK- 
WARDS TO  THE  FLOOR 38 

RAISING  THE  VICTIM  FROM  A  PROSTRATE  TO  AN  ERECT 
POSITION 40 

A  THROAT-HOLD  TO  BE  EMPLOYED  RESISTANTLY        .      42 
EMPLOYED  AT  LEFT  SIDE  OF  EACH  CONTESTANT         .      54 

RESISTANT  BACK  WORK  WITH  SLIGHT  BENDING  BY 
BOTH  CONTESTANTS  ....  56 

RESISTANT  NECK  WORK 58 

THE  REAR  CLUTCH  FOR  STRENGTHENING  THE  THROAT  84 

THE  SMALL  OF  THE  BACK  BEND 86 

A  STRONG  RESISTANT  EXERCISE  FOR  THE  BACK   .        .  88 

BACKWARD  AND  FORWARD  BENDING  AS  RESISTANT 
WORK  FOR  WRIST 90 

RESISTANT  SWAYING  FROM  SIDE  TO  SIDE,  NO  MOVE- 
MENT BACKWARD  OR  FORWARD 96 

AN  EXERCISE  FOR  DEVELOPING  THE  CHEST  AND  THE 

HOLLOW  BETWEEN  THE  SHOULDER  BLADES        .  .       IOO 

THE  RESISTANT  POLE  WORK 102 

One  of  the  best  possible  exercises  for  the  entire 
body. 

RESISTANT  OVER-ARM  WORK 104 


Illustrations  ix 

PAGE 

THE  BEST  RESISTANT  LEG  WORK  .  .  .  .108 
RESISTANT  WORK  FOR  BOTH  SHOULDERS  AND  ARMS  .  no 
WORK  FOR  THE  UPPER  ARM  AND  FOREARM  .  .  .116 
RESISTANT  TWISTING  OF  ANKLE  AND  LEG  .  .  .118 
THE  ACME  OF  "  JIU-JITSU  "  TRAINING  .  .  .120 


INTRODUCTION 

IN  this  volume  the  author  has  endeavoured, 
with  painstaking  care,  to  make  plain  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  kind  of  athletic  work  that  has 
resulted,  undoubtedly,  in  making  the  little 
Japanese  women  the  strongest  and  most  cheer- 
ful members  of  their  sex  to  be  found  anywhere 
on  earth. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  the  application  of  jiu- 
jitsu  will  bring  a  dying  woman  away  from  her 
bed  and  give  her  the  best  of  good  health  at 
once.  Such  an  achievement  would  be  termed 
a  miracle.  Jfatjiu-jitsn,  if  followed  out  in  all 
its  details,  will  make  a  weak  woman  stronger, 
and  will  make  of  any  reasonably  strong  woman 
one  who  is  the  physical  peer  of  any  man  of  her 
own  size.  The  day  has  gone  by  when  women 
prize  weakness  as  a  dainty  attribute  of  their  sex, 
and  the  science  of  jiu-jitsu  points  out  the  path 
for  the  new  physical  woman  to  pursue. 

xi 


xii  Introduction 

BE  STRONG!  There  is  neither  grace  nor 
beauty  in  weakness.  Nor  is  there,  when  a 
woman  possesses  very  ordinary  strength,  any 
excuse  for  her  being  weak.  On  almost  the 
poorest  of  foundations  it  is  possible  to  build 
up  the  most  vigorous  health. 

In  Japan  there  are,  to-day,  six  different  sys- 
tems of  jiu-jitsu  in  vogue.  The  movements 
differ  somewhat,  but  the  underlying  principles 
are  the  same  in  each.  The  author,  who  has 
been  trained  under  such  renowned  teachers  of 
the  science  as  Matsuda,  Yako,  and  Inouye,  has 
studied  all  of  the  systems,  and  the  work  pre- 
sented in  this  volume  is  intended  to  be  a  com- 
bination, a  blending,  of  all  that  is  best  in 
jiu-jitsu  for  women's  especial  training.  Inouye 
San  is  a  splendid  master  in  the  tricks  of  com- 
bat ;  Matsuda  San  is  unquestionably  the  Japan- 
ese instructor  who  is  best  versed  of  all  in  the 
anatomical  principles  of  training  the  muscular 
body;  Yako  San,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five, 
was  a  magnificent  exponent  of  what  one  may 
acquire  through  the  life-long  practice  of  jiu- 
jitsu. 

He  met  on  the  floor  all  of  the  best  of  the 


Introduction  xiii 

younger  Japanese  experts,  and  defeated  them 
invariably.  His  defence  was  performed  with 
the  utmost  gentleness.  His  sole  aim  was  to 
show  how  useless  it  was  to  attack  a  man  of  his 
skill  and  strength. 

Women  who  attend  the  jiu-jitsu  schools  in 
Japan  are  given  the  regular  course  with,  in  ad- 
dition, training  for  their  own  needs.  Combat 
enters  much  into  the  work,  but  in  this  volume 
it  has  been  aimed  only  to  show  the  feats  that 
make  for  womanly  strength.  The  woman  of 
ordinarily  good  condition,  who  takes  the 
trouble  to  master  them,  will  have  no  occasion 
to  complain  of  occasional  weakness  or  ill-health. 
After  every  practice  bout  she  will  feel  exhila- 
rated. After  a  little  while  any  tendency  to 
weakness  will  have  disappeared. 

H.  IRVING  HANCOCK. 

NEW  YORK,  February  27,  1904. 


PHYSICAL  TRAINING  FOR 

WOMEN 
BY  JAPANESE  METHODS 


CHAPTER   I 

THE  BASIS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PHYSICAL  TRAIN- 
ING THAT  IS  INTENDED  ESPECIALLY  FOR 
WOMEN — ABSURDITY  OF  THE  EXISTENCE 
OF  A  "WEAKER  SEX  " 

ONE  of  the  phrases  that  should  be  stricken 
from  the  English  language  is,  "the  weaker 
sex."  After  a  long  experience  in  Japanese 
athletics  the  writer  has  no  patience  with  wo- 
men who  consider  that  merely  because  of  their 
sex  they  should  be  weaker  than  men.  In 
Japan  the  women  are  not  weaker,  and  in  this 
country  they  have  no  right  to  be.  A  Japanese 
woman  is  generally  the  physical  peer  of  a  man 
i 


2       Physical  Training  for  Women 

of  her  own  race  who  is  of  the  same  age  and 
height,  and  especially  when  weights  are  about 
equal. 

This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  women  of 
the  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  exercise  in  about 
the  same  way  that  the  men  do,  and  devote 
fully  as  much  time  in  the  endeavour  to  gain 
strength.  Of  course  there  are  some  cases  of 
insufficiently  developed  physical  power  among 
the  women  of  Japan,  but  these  instances  are 
so  rare  that  the  woman  of  Dai  Nippon  marvels 
that  there  should  be  such  a  word  as  "weak- 
ness. ' ' 

From  remote  antiquity  there  has  existed  in 
Japan  a  system  of  bodily  training  known  as 
jiu-jitsu.  Its  age  is  established  by  reasonably 
authentic  records  as  being  at  least  twenty-five 
hundred  years;  undoubtedly  the  science  is 
older  than  that.  In  feudal  Japan  knowledge 
of  the  science  was  imparted  only  to  the  sam- 
urai— and  only  under  the  strongest  oaths  of 
secrecy.  The  samurai  were  the  men  —  and 
women — of  the  privileged  military  class.  The 
men  did  the  fighting,  but  the  women,  who 
were  to  rear  the  sons  of  the  next  generation, 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training       3 

were  required  to  understand  all  the  principles 
of  jiu-jitsu.  In  the  initial  stages  of  the  training 
it  was  considered  always  advisable  to  have  a 
boy  and  a  girl  contestant  who  were  as  nearly 
equal  in  age  and  height  as  was  possible,  but 
the  girls  entered  the  arena  upon  equal  terms 
with  the  boys — and  proved  their  fitness  so  to 
do.  Grown  men  and  women  practised  &  jiu- 
jitsu,  nor  did  any  woman  find  it  necessary  to 
take  refuge  in  her  sex.  She  did  not  need  to. 
Other  conditions  being  equal,  she  could  show 
an  amount  of  strength  that  paralleled  that  of 
her  husband  or  brother. 

Ultimately  jiu-jitsu  is  a  highly  scientific  sys- 
tem of  rapid  and  convincing  attack  and  de- 
fence. Before  the  stage  of  combat  is  reached, 
however,  much  work  must  be  devoted  to 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  nerves  and 
muscles  of  the  body,  such  as  comes  from  well- 
sustained  preliminary  practice.  This  prelimin- 
ary practice  will  strengthen  every  portion  of 
the  body  to  its  utmost,  and  will  give  to  any 
woman  the  greatest  strength  of  which  she  is 
capable. 

Jiu-jitsu  is  no  longer  the  sole  property  of 


4       Physical  Training  for  Women 

the  aristocratic  fighting  class  of  Japan.  When 
the  present  Emperor  came  to  the  throne  he 
abolished  all  feudal  rights  and  customs.  Jap- 
anese who  are  descended  from  the  samurai  are 
proud  of  their  blood,  but  they  have  no  status 
as  a  class.  Jiu-jitsu  is  taught,  now,  to  any 
subject  who  desires  to  learn  it.  In  the  Empire 
there  are  hundreds  of  schools  where  the  science 
is  taught,  and  there  are  thousands  of  instruc- 
tors— millions  of  graduates.  In  these  schools 
women  frequently  enter  the  lists  with  men. 
An  exciting  time  is  looked  forward  to  always 
when  it  is  announced  that  a  woman  champion 
will  contest  with  a  male  expert. 

Some  years  ago  I  had  the  pleasure  of  work- 
ing in  a  jiu-jitsu  school  in  Tokio.  I  had  had 
previous  instruction  in  this  country,  and  in 
Nagasaki  and  Yokohama,  and  the  Tokio  man 
was  engaged  in  putting  me  through  a  course  of 
the  advanced  tricks  of  combat.  My  muscles  at 
that  time  were  in  as  good  condition  as  I  could 
have  desired,  and  my  instructor  complimented 
me  upon  my  work.  Then  he  suddenly  asked : 

"You  like  see  what  Japanese  woman  can 
do?" 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training        5 

I  assured  him  that  it  would  give  me  great 
pleasure  to  have  such  an  exhibition.  There 
were  half  a  dozen  smiling  little  Japanese  wo- 
men among  the  spectators.  My  instructor 
spoke  to  one  of  them,  who  bowed  and  disap- 
peared. After  a  little  while  she  re-appeared, 
and  came  running  across  the  floor  in  a  gym- 
nasium costume  consisting  solely  of  short 
trousers  and  a  jacket.  She  was  laughing  as 
she  approached,  and  her  little  bare  feet  made 
a  swift,  rustling  sound  on  the  straw  of  the 
padded  mats  with  which  the  floor  was  covered. 
It  did  not  require  an  expert's  eye  to  note  that 
hers  was  the  body  of  a  trained  athlete.  If  any 
American  woman  believes  that  perfect  physical 
training  brings  out  ugly,  "bumpy"  lines,  she 
should  see  such  a  little  brown  sprite  as  I  then 
saw — a  supple  young  woman,  bounding  with 
the  vim  of  life,  and  graceful  in  every  line  of 
contour. 

While  I  stood  looking  at  her,  the  little 
woman  halted  before  me,  made  a  polite  bow, 
and  then  backed  away,  in  the  manner  that 
is  common  to  students  of  jiu-jitsu  when  invit- 
ing combat.  She  was  fully  six  inches  shorter 


6       Physical  Training  for  Women 

than  I  and  at  a  great  disadvantage  in  point  of 
weight. 

"Surely  you  don't  want  me  to  struggle  with 
her?"  I  asked  my  instructor. 

"Oh,  yes;  try,"  came  the  smiling  answer. 
"Don't  be  'fraid.  She  one  of  my  old  pupils. 
She  what — what  you  say? — hard  as  board." 

The  little  woman  stood  some  distance  from 
me,  still  smiling,  while  the  spectators  looked 
on  with  interest.  The  little  woman  again  ap- 
proached and  bowed.  There  was  no  help  for 
it.  I  bowed,  and  we  backed  off  a  little  way, 
then  approached  each  other  sinuously,  each 
looking  for  an  opening.  There  was  a  clinch 
that  lasted,  as  nearly  as  I  could  judge,  about 
five  seconds.  Three  seconds  later  I  was  com- 
pelled to  pat  the  floor  in  token  of  surrender. 
There  were  five  bouts  in  all,  of  which  I  secured 
the  distinction  of  winning  one.  Then  my  in- 
structor spoke  to  my  smiling  little  antagonist, 
who  walked  over  to  the  side  of  the  hall.  Next 
he  turned  to  me  and  beckoned  me  into  another 
room. 

"She  very  good,"  observed  the  teacher,  a 
statement  in  which  I  was  quite  willing  to  con- 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training        7 

cur.  "But  I  not  teach  her  too  fast.  Best  to 
go  slow.  You  have  not  so  much  time.  I 
show  you  things  now." 

There  followed  a  half  hour  of  rapid  instruc- 
tion, in  which  I  gained  more  of  the  science  of 
jiu-jitsu  than  ever  I  had  expected  to  acquire  in 
such  a  length  of  time.  Finally  my  instructor 
suggested : 

"Now  you  go  back  and  try." 

My  late  antagonist  was  waiting  for  me.  She 
came  forward  as  smiling  as  ever,  made  her 
little  bow,  and  retreated  slowly.  When  we 
met  she  took  a  clever  hold,  but  went  to  the 
floor  and  patted  it  as  a  sign  of  surrender. 
There  were  a  dozen  bouts  in  all,  in  every  one 
of  which  I  was  now  victor.  After  each  fall 
the  little  Japanese  woman  rose,  took  two  or 
three  deep  breaths,  and  then  gave  a  signal  for 
renewed  attack.  The  new  work  that  I  had 
learned  in  half  an  hour  baffled  her.  It  was 
work  at  which  she  would  be  required  to  devote 
at  least  the  next  six  weeks,  for  the  Japanese 
instructors  do  not  believe  in  passing  from  one 
step  to  another  until  the  former  has  been  mas- 
tered thoroughly.  To  me  the  last  instruction 


8       Physical  Training  for  Women 

had  been  given  rapidly,  since  my  stay  in  Japan 
was  to  continue  but  a  little  while  longer. 

It  is  this  principle  of  mastering  one  step 
thoroughly  before  the  next  is  undertaken  that 
the  writer  wishes  to  impress  most  deeply 
upon  all  readers  among  American  women. 
Nothing  is  to  be  gained  by  haste ;  much  is  to 
be  lost  by  it.  The  elementary  principles  that 
underlie  the  whole  science  of  jiu-jitsu  are 
directed  to  the  creation  of  strength  and  health. 
It  is  as  easy  for  a  woman  to  build  up  what 
is  considered  in  this  country  as  surprising 
strength  for  her  sex  as  it  is  to  eat  a  breakfast 
— but  it  takes  much  longer  to  do  the  former 
thing.  If  American  women  would  take  gener- 
ally to  the  practice  of  the  elementary  work  of 
jiu-jitsu  feminine  weaklings  would  be  as  rare  in 
this  country  as  they  are  in  Japan. 

The  exercises  that  are  to  be  described  in 
these  chapters  are  those  that  have  been  taken 
from  fait  jiu-jitsu  work  with  especial  regard  to 
the  needs  of  women  who  are  not  as  strong  as 
they  should  be.  In  the  regular  Japanese 
course  women  take  the  same  part  as  do  men, 
but  the  exercises  here  offered  are  those  in 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training        9 

which  Japanese  women  receive  special  train- 
ing, and  are  those  best  adapted  to  the  present 
purpose  of  the  author. 

In  any  kind  of  athletic  work  that  is  to  pro- 
duce the  best  results  the  selection  of  the  right 
costume  counts  for  much.  It  should  go  with- 
out saying  that  corsets  cannot  be  worn  while 
exercising.  Loose-fitting  garments  of  any  kind 
may  be  worn,  but  when  two  women  are  to 
practise,  without  spectators,  the  most  con- 
venient costume  is  one  consisting  of  a  com- 
bination bathing-suit  and  stockings.  If  the 
addition  of  a  short  skirt  is  desired  the  neces- 
sary movements  will  not  be  hampered  thereby. 
If  the  students  do  not  care  to  practise  in  stock- 
ing feet,  very  low-heeled  shoes  of  the  gym- 
nasium pattern  should  be  worn.  Athletic 
work  in  high-heeled  slippers  or  shoes  would 
be  absurd. 

Now,  for  the  first  of  the  exercises.  Take  a 
look  at  photograph  number  one.  Study  the 
illustration  and  this  text  until  it  is  reasonably 
clear  how  the  work  is  to  be  performed.  The 
two  students  stand  at  each  other's  right  side, 
a  little  way  apart,  in  such  attitude  that  the 


io     Physical  Training  for  Women 

clenched  right  hands  of  both  are  held  about 
eighteen  inches  from  the  body  and  just  below 
the  line  of  the  hips.  The  right  wrists  of  the 
two  antagonists  are  crossed  on  the  inside. 
Now,  one  of  the  two,  who  may  be  designated 
as  the  assailant,  exerts  all  the  strength  she  can 
employ  without  fatigue  to  push  the  other's 
wrist  backward,  swinging  the  one  on  the  de- 
fence as  far  around  as  the  latter  can  go  without 
losing  her  balance.  The  right  arms  of  both 
are  held  as  rigidly  tense  as  is  possible.  The 
assailant,  while  gradually  exerting  this  press- 
ure, walks  around  the  one  on  the  defensive 
until  a  half  circle  has  been  covered,  while  the 
latter,  as  far  as  possible,  uses  her  feet  only  as 
pivots. 

In  this  work  it  is  well  to  arrange  in  advance 
who  is  to  be  the  assailant,  and  she  should  be 
allowed  to  win  the  victory,  although  the  con- 
testant on  the  defensive  should  exert  all  the 
resistant  pressure  that  can  be  used  without 
preventing  the  assailant's  success.  As  soon  as 
the  victory  has  been  won  assailant  and  victim 
should  change  places  and  try  the  work  once 
more.  After  a  few  deep  breaths  the  same  feat 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training      n 

should  be  tried  with  left  wrists  opposed,  the 
contestants  standing,  of  course,  at  the  left  of 
each  other.  At  first,  one  right  and  one  left 
wrist  attack  for  each  of  the  contestants  is  as 
much  as  should  be  attempted.  The  amount 
of  this  work  may  be  increased  very  gradually 
as  the  strength  of  the  student  grows.  A 
similar  feat  should  follow,  with  the  insides  of 
the  middle  forearms  crossed,  and  then  with 
hooked  elbows.  Last  of  all,  the  middles  of 
the  upper  arms  may  be  crossed  in  the  same 
way.  At  all  times  it  should  be  understood 
beforehand  who  is  to  be  the  assailant,  and  that 
the  assailant  should  win,  but  that  the  one  on 
the  defensive  should  exert  as  much  resistant 
pressure  as  is  needed  to  all  but  prevent  the 
victory  of  the  assailant. 

There  is  one  fault  that  is  to  be  found  with 
nearly  all  American  students  of  jiu-jitsu:  After 
a  little  practice  they  find  so  much  exhilaration 
in  the  sport  that  they  are  likely  to  overdo  in 
the  exercises.  There  are  two  safe  indications 
of  over-zeal — palpitation  of  the  heart  and  pant- 
ing. Either  of  these  symptoms  proves  that 
the  student  should  stop  work,  rest,  and  breathe 


12     Physical  Training  for  Women 

deeply,  this  to  be  followed  by  lighter  exercise 
when  it  is  resumed.  Danger  signals  of  the 
kind  mentioned  must  be  heeded  at  all  times, 
but  if  the  work  is  begun  lightly,  and  is  in- 
creased moderately,  just  as  the  strength  grows, 
not  even  the  slightest  discomfort  can  result. 

In  photograph  number  two  is  shown  the 
" struggle."  Beyond  doubt  it  is  worth  more 
to  the  student  than  is  any  other  single  exercise 
known  to  the  teachers  of  jiu-jitsu.  It  is  so 
ingeniously  arranged  that  it  strengthens  every 
portion  of  the  body  at  once.  There  is  not  an 
important  muscle  that  does  not  share  in  the 
benefit.  Let  the  two  contestants  stand  facing 
each  other,  and  a  little  apart.  Extend  the 
arms  sideways  on  a  level  with  the  shoulders. 
Let  each  clasp  the  other's  opposing  hands. 
The  feet  of  each  should  be  as  far  apart  as  is  pos- 
sible. As  soon  as  this  position  is  secured,  the 
contestants  throw  themselves  forward  so  that 
the  chest  of  one  presses  strongly  against  that 
of  the  other,  with  heads  to  the  left  of  each 
other's,  no  other  portions  of  the  body  to  touch. 

Now,  putting  in  as  much  strain  as  is  possible 
without  causing  extreme  fatigue,  let  the  con- 


No.  3.      RESISTANT  NECK  WORK, 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training      13 

testants  struggle  against  each  other,  each  striv- 
ing to  push  the  adversary  to  the  wall.  The 
"battle"  should  be  fought  inch  by  inch. 
While  the  struggle  is  going  on  the  arms  should 
be  raised  alternately  up  and  down  on  either 
side ;  when  the  clasped  hands  on  one  side  are 
up  those  on  the  other  side  should  be  down. 
When  up  the  hands  should  be  brought  just  a 
little  above  the  top  of  the  head ;  when  down 
the  hands  should  be  just  above  the  level  of 
the  waist-line.  The  arms  should  be  moved 
vigorously  up  and  down,  and  the  whole  exer- 
cise is  one  that  is  to  be  taken  with  snap  and 
vim.  When  there  is  great  disparity  of  strength 
between  the  two  contestants  victory  should 
be  arranged  before  the  struggle  begins.  The 
stronger  contestant,  when  on  the  defensive, 
should  exercise  just  enough  strength  to  make 
success  difficult  but  certain  for  the  weaker  one. 
As  soon  as  this  exercise  has  been  mastered  it 
will  be  found  to  be  a  most  exhilarating  tonic 
in  all  its  properties.  It  is  a  vitaliser  and  causes 
the  blood  of  a  weak  woman  to  circulate  in  an 
unwonted  manner. 

Resistant    neck   exercises   are   depicted    in 


14     Physical  Training  for  Women 

photograph  number  three.  Let  one  of  the 
contestants  be  designated  as  the  victim  and 
the  other  as  the  assailant.  They  stand  facing 
each  other.  The  victim  places  her  hands  on 
the  other's  hips  with  all  the  arm  muscles  tense. 
The  greatest  tenseness  should  be  in  the  wrists. 
The  assailant  places  the  palms  of  her  hands  on 
either  side  of  the  face  of  the  victim,  finger- 
tips up,  in  such  manner  that  the  tips  of  the 
forefingers  rest  just  at  the  base  of  the  temples, 
while  the  thumb  tips  press  in  side  by  side,  just 
under  the  centre  of  the  chin.  This  grip  should 
be  taken  firmly  enough  to  hold  the  victim's 
face  as  in  a  vise. 

Now,  the  assailant  twists  the  victim's  head 
so  that  the  latter's  chin  is  forced  as  far  as  is 
possible  over  the  latter 's  right  shoulder.  All 
the  while  the  victim  resists  by  trying  to  force 
her  chin  around  over  the  left  shoulder.  Then 
the  exercise  is  reversed  by  an  attempt  on  the 
part  of  the  assailants  to  force  the  victim's  chin 
over  the  left  shoulder,  the  victim  resisting  to  the 
right.  No  better  work  than  this  can  be  devised 
for  strengthening  the  cords  of  the  neck — a  most 
important  point  at  which  to  possess  strength. 


No.  4.      RESISTANT  SHOULDER  WORK. 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training      15 

A  valuable  variation  in  this  work  is  found 
when  the  assailant  throws  her  left  hand  around 
the  victim's  neck  in  such  fashion  that  the 
finger-tips  dig  into  the  spinal  column  just  at 
the  base  of  the  skull,  while  the  thumb  presses 
into  the  centre  of  the  throat.  The  assailant's 
open  right  hand  is  forced  under  the  victim's 
jaw,  with  the  thumb  under  the  victim's  right 
ear  and  the  fingers  under  the  left  ear.  As 
soon  as  this  grip  is  secured  the  assailant  forces 
the  victim's  head  as  far  backward  as  may  be 
done,  the  victim  resisting  all  the  while.  When 
the  head  has  been  pushed  back  as  far  as  may 
be  done,  the  victim  gradually  brings  the  head 
forward  against  the  resistance  of  the  former 
assailant. 

In  order  to  "square"  and  strengthen  her 
shoulders  the  Japanese  woman  student  of  jiu- 
jitsu  is  taught  to  rest  her  open  hands  upon 
her  sides  at  the  lower  ribs.  The  elbows  are 
brought  forward  then  as  far  as  is  possible.  In 
this  position  the  young  woman  bends  over 
backward,  raises  her  shoulders  all  she  can, 
throws  them  up  as  high  as  they  will  go,  and 
twists  the  shoulders  upward  and  over  backward 


1 6     Physical  Training  for  Women 

in  a  gradual,  semi-rotary  movement.  By  the 
time  that  the  backward  bend  has  been  carried 
as  far  as  it  can  be  done  the  elbows  will  be  at 
or  near  a  level  with  the  hips.  From  this  posi- 
tion the  student  recovers  slowly  to  starting 
position.  This  movement  is  repeated  several 
times — always  'without  hurry — during  each  les- 
son that  is  aimed  at  the  development  of 
the  shoulders.  In  photograph  number  four 
one  model  is  shown  at  the  starting  point  of 
the  exercise,  while  the  other  illustrates  the 
position  at  the  moment  of  the  utmost  bend 
backward. 

It  is  supremely  important  that  a  woman 
should  be  strong  and  supple  in  the  small  of 
her  back.  The  two  contestants,  as  is  shown 
in  photograph  number  five,  should  stand  facing 
each  other  with  feet  spread  wide  apart.  The 
assailant  throws  her  arms  around  her  intended 
victim's  waist,  clasping  her  own  hands  so  that 
the  interlaced  fingers  rest  just  over  the  base  of 
the  spine.  The  victim  may  allow  her  own 
hands  to  hang  at  her  sides,  or  she  may  rest 
them  upon  her  companion's  arms.  Now  the 
so-called  victim  bends  over  backward  as  far  as 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training      17 

she  can,  doing  so  very  gradually,  and  relying 
upon  her  antagonist  to  support  her.  Every 
muscle  that  is  brought  into  play  must  be 
made  tense  during  the  exercise.  When  the 
backward  bend  has  been  carried  as  far  as  it  can 
be  done,  the  assailant  should  gradually  draw 
the  victim  back  to  upright  position,  the  latter 
resisting  all  the  while.  It  requires  several 
practice  bouts  to  make  one  perfect  in  this 
exercise. 

By  the  time  that  the  student  has  gone  this 
far  —  always  provided,  of  course,  that  each 
step  has  been  mastered  patiently  and  thor- 
oughly— a  variation  of  the  "struggle"  is  em- 
ployed. The  two  contestants  face  each  other, 
standing  with  feet  far  apart.  The  hands  are 
raised  a  little  above  the  level  of  the  head,  and 
the  opponents  press  both  flat  palms  against  the 
opposing  palms.  (See  photograph  number 
six.)  In  this  position  both  lean  forward,  with 
no  portions  of  the  trunks  touching,  and  each 
endeavours  to  force  the  other  across  the  room 
to  the  wall.  Next,  single  arm  work  is  taken 
up,  one  adversary  employing  the  left  palm 
against  the  other's  right.  In  sequence  the 


1 8     Physical  Training  for  Women 

assailant  uses  the  right  palm  against  the  vic- 
tim's left  palm.  A  most  interesting  variation 
of  this  work  is  found  when  each  contestant 
places  the  inside  of  her  middle  right  forearm 
over  the  back  of  her  own  left  forearm  in  such 
manner  as  to  form  the  letter  "x."  The 
palms  are  outward  and  the  finger-tips  up. 
Now  the  adversaries  oppose  right  palm  to 
right  palm  and  left  palm  to  left  palm,  and  the 
struggle  is  carried  on  as  before — always  with- 
out allowing  any  portions  of  the  trunk  to 
touch. 

The  woman  who  wishes  to  prove  the  posses- 
sion of  strength  must  have  splendidly  de- 
veloped wrists.  In  fact,  the  Japanese  value 
most  the  muscles  that  are  strong  between  the 
base  of  the  hand  and  the  bend  of  the  elbow. 
Swelling  muscles  in  the  upper  arm  do  not 
count  for  much  with  these  sturdy,  healthy 
little  brown  people  of  Dai  Nippon.  The  wrist 
is  the  portion  of  the  body  that  may  be  de- 
veloped most  quickly.  In  the  best  exercise 
for  this  part  of  bodily  training  Japanese  women 
are  taught  to  stand  facing  each  other  with  the 
arms  extended  downward  in  front  so  that  the 


1 


No.  6.      RESISTANT  WORK  WITH   HANDS  OVER  HEADS. 


:v 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training      19 

hands  are  about  on  a  level  with  the  waist-line. 
The  contestants  clasp  hands  with  fingers  inter- 
laced, whereupon  the  assailant  endeavours  to 
twist  her  victim's  hands  slightly  upward  and 
decidedly  over  and  outward,  the  victim  all  the 
while  resisting.  The  movement  is  shown  in 
photograph  number  seven.  When  the  wrists 
of  the  victim  have  been  turned  as  far  outward 
as  they  can  be  forced,  the  assailant  begins  to 
twist  them  inward  in  reverse  manner,  encoun- 
tering all  the  resistance  of  which  the  opponent 
is  capable. 

In  these  exercises  the  writer  has  described 
all  the  work  that  any  woman  should  attempt 
to  master  within  a  month  if  she  wishes  to  be- 
come truly  strong  in  the  right  and  moderate 
way.  If  all  the  directions  are  patiently, 
methodically  followed  there  can  be  no  doubt 
as  to  the  results.  By  way  of  system,  in  pur- 
suing these  exercises,  the  writer  wishes  to 
make  the  following  suggestions:  The  work 
shown  in  this  chapter  is  designed  for  a  pre- 
liminary course  of  thirty  days.  The  resistant 
wrist  and  arm  exercises  depicted  in  photo- 
graph number  one  should  be  practised  almost 


20     Physical  Training  for  Women 

exclusively  for  the  first  three  days.  During  the 
next  three  days  the  neck  work  should  be  taken 
up  in  connection  with  the  wrist  and  arm  work, 
about  equal  time  being  given  to  each.  The 
"  struggle"  work  should  be  taken  up  on  the 
second  day  of  the  course,  but  should  not  be 
practised  too  much  until  the  neck  work  has 
been  gotten  well  under  way. 

Each  one  of  the  succeeding  exercises  should 
be  taken  up  at  intervals  of  three  days  each — 
and  in  every  exercise  bout  all  the  work  that  has 
been  tried  before  should  be  repeated  from  time 
to  time.  When  all  of  the  seven  exercises 
herein  given  have  been  well  learned  the  balance 
of  the  month  should  be  devoted  to  the  succes- 
sive practice  of  them  all. 

If  one  practice  bout  a  day  can  be  had,  it  is 
better  to  take  half  an  hour  in  the  late  after- 
noon, or  in  the  early  evening.  Exercise  before 
meals  should  terminate  half  an  hour  before 
the  time  of  eating.  Exercise  after  meals 
should  not  begin  until  an  hour  and  a  half  after 
eating.  Where  possible  it  is  better  to  take  a 
twenty  minutes'  bout  in  the  morning  and 
another  in  the  aft'ernoon  or  evening. 


No.  7,     THE  UP-AND-OVER   MOTION  OF  THE  WRISTS. 


Basis  of  Japanese  Training      21 

There  is  no  need  for  any  American  woman 
who  is  not  nearly  bedridden  to  be  weak  if  she 
will  follow  the  course  that  makes  her  Japanese 
sisters  strong.  Yet  nothing  can  be  accom- 
plished unless  the  reader  goes  at  each  task 
persistently  and  with  the  full  determination  to 
win,  through  actual  work,  all  the  strength  that 
is  hers  by  right. 


CHAPTER   II 

ADDITIONAL    PRELIMINARY     EXERCISES     FOR 
THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  BODY 

IN  the  average  school  of  instruction  in  Japan 
the  girl  student  is  not  allowed  to  take  up  addi- 
tional work  until  she  has  spent  something  like 
a  month  in  mastering,  by  constant,  daily  exer- 
cise, the  work  described  in  the  last  chapter. 
The  work  that  is  to  be  offered  now  is  some- 
what more  advanced.  It  is  supposed  to  repre- 
sent the  second  month's  addition  to  the  work 
that  has  been  explained  already — but  the  work 
insisted  upon  for  the  first  month,  like  that 
described  in  this  chapter,  should  be  kept  up 
all  the  time — the  student  so  dividing  the  exer- 
cises that  as  many  forms  of  them  as  are  possible 
may  be  taken  up  in  each  practice  bout. 

In  this  special  system  of  training  for  women 
it  is  the  intention  of  the  Japanese  instructors, 
while  developing  the  whole  body,  to  give  espe- 

22 


No.  8.      RESISTANT  WORK  AROUND  HIPS. 


Preliminary  Exercises          23 

cial  heed  to  the  training  of  all  of  the  muscles 
that  lie  between  the  thigh  and  the  breast. 
Within  this  compass  all  the  organs  are  located, 
and  the  well-devised  plan  of  the  Japanese  aims 
at  the  development  of  the  organs.  Incidentally 
every  other  muscle  of  the  body  is  brought  into 
the  right  sort  of  play  by  one  or  another  of  the 
exercises. 

At  about  the  beginning  of  the  second  month 
of  training  the  Japanese  woman  will  be  taught 
some  such  exercise  as  the  one  that  I  am  about 
to  describe.  The  exact  form  does  not  matter, 
so  long  as  the  student  carries  out  the  theory 
of  the  exercise  in  a  practicable  manner.  The 
student  of  jiu-jitsu  is  taught  always  to  think 
out  for  herself  all  of  the  variations  of  an  exer- 
cise that  are  possible. 

Place  the  hands  just  over  the  hips,  with 
fingers  resting  forward  on  the  sides  and  thumbs 
backward,  the  familiar  position  of  "arms  akim- 
bo." Stand  erectly,  with  the  heels  touching 
and  the  feet  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  de- 
grees. Make  every  muscle  in  the  body  as 
tense  as  it  is  possible  to  do,  and  then  begin  to 
turn  slowly  from  side  to  side.  This  exercise, 


24     Physical  Training  for  Women 

if  it  is  to  give  benefit,  must  be  accompanied 
by  the  resistant  work  that  has  been  explained 
already.  For  instance,  when  making  a  turn 
to  the  right,  always  resist  by  employing  the 
muscles  in  such  manner  that  the  turn  is  ren- 
dered difficult.  In  turning  to  the  left,  always 
employ  a  counteracting,  resistant  pressure  to 
the  right.  In  exercises  of  this  kind  it  should 
be  understood  that  at  all  times  there  must 
be  conscious  but  inferior  muscular  resistance. 
The  resistance  must  be  great  enough  to  all  but 
defeat  the  victory  of  the  muscles  that  are 
employed  in  achieving  victory. 

This  principle  cannot  be  too  thoroughly  ab- 
sorbed by  the  student.  At  the  same  time  care 
must  be  taken  not  to  carry  the  resistant  idea 
so  far  that  panting  or  palpitation  is  caused. 
The  student,  whether  engaged  in  exercise  by 
herself,  or  in  association  with  a  companion, 
can  determine  readily  just  how  much  resistance 
can  be  offered  without  causing  fatigue.  FA- 
TIGUE AND  EXERCISE  DO  NOT  GO  HAND  IN 
HAND !  Any  exercise  that  truly  fatigues  is  in- 
jurious. Caution  should  be  given  not  to  try 
the  exercise  described  in  the  foregoing  and 


Preliminary  Exercises          25 

illustrated  in  photograph  number  eight  to  the 
degree  that  will  cause  fatigue.  A  woman  who 
is  absolutely  strong  can  perform,  without  stop- 
ping, from  twenty-five  to  forty  of  these  turns 
from  right  to  left;  the  woman  who  is  not 
strong  should  content  herself  at  the  outset 
with  two  turns  from  right  to  left  in  a  single 
practice  bout.  Then  the  strength  will  come 
that  will  enable  her  to  increase  the  number  of 
times  that  she  does  the  work  at  the  beginning. 
The  next  exercise  that  should  be  added  to 
the  list  is  somewhat  difficult  of  achievement  at 
the  outset,  but  skill  comes  with  a  little  prac- 
tice. As  is  shown  in  photograph  number  nine, 
each  contestant  stands  on  the  right  foot,  hold- 
ing the  left  foot  backward,  and  clear  of  the 
floor.  They  clasp  right  hands  at  arm's  length, 
or  nearly  so.  Arms  and  legs  should  be  as  tense 
as  is  possible.  While  the  victim  stands  on  her 
right  foot,  using  it  as  a  pivot  only,  the  assail- 
ant, hopping  on  her  right  foot  alone,  endeav- 
ours to  swing  her  opponent  around  to  the 
right.  Each  should  use  as  much  force  in 
the  arms  as  can  be  done  without  preventing 
the  victory  of  the  assailant. 


26     Physical  Training  for  Women 

This  is  an  exercise  that  should  not  be  taken 
often  at  the  outset.  Too  much  of  it  will  ex- 
haust the  strength  of  a  woman  who  is  not 
accustomed  to  physical  training.  But  the 
amount  of  this  exercise  can  be  increased  gradu- 
ally, just  as  the  strength  of  the  student  in- 
creases, and  just  as  the  task  becomes  a  pleasure 
instead.  A  very  little  practice  is  needed  in 
order  to  convince  the  student  that  the  exercise 
is  one  that  shakes  up  the  vital  organs, 
strengthens  the  muscles  over  the  hips,  and 
makes  the  arms  and  legs  stronger.  There  is 
the  added  advantage  that  agility  and  physical 
poise  are  improved. 

Of  course  it  is  to  be  understood  that  the 
hopping  on  the  right  feet  with  the  right  hands 
clenched  can  be  duplicated  by  hopping  on  the 
left  feet  while  the  left  hands  are  grasped,  in 
the  same  fashion  that  is  shown  in  the  photo- 
graph. In  fact,  it  is  well  to  have  rather  more 
practice  for  the  left  side  of  the  body  than  for 
the  right,  as  the  tendency  of  nearly  all  physical 
training  is  to  develop  the  right  side  of  the  body 
at  the  expense  of  the  left. 

From  photograph  number  ten  a  very  perfect 


No.  10.      THE  RESISTANT  WORK,   DONE  FROM  SIDE  TO  SIDE, 
VICTIM  RESISTING. 


Preliminary  Exercises          27 

idea  may  be  gained  of  the  next  exercise  that  is 
to  be  taken  up — that  is,  to  be  taken  up  after 
the  second  month's  work  has  been  under  way 
for  a  week  or  so.  The  caution  is  to  be  given 
in  advance  that  too  much  of  this  work  is  likely 
to  prove  injurious  to  the  heart.  A  normally 
healthy  woman  need  not  be  in  the  least  afraid 
of  the  exercise.  The  Japanese  woman  minds 
it  no  more  than  she  would  washing  her  hands. 
The  woman  student  who  fears  that  her  heart 
is  weak  should  take  the  work  with  caution,  at 
first,  noting  whether  she  suffers  discomfort 
in  consequence.  If  she  discovers  discomfort 
around  the  heart  she  should  try  the  work  very 
easily  at  first,  increasing  it  by  very  gradual 
degrees.  This  caution  is  given  for  the  reason 
that  in  the  United  States  heart  troubles  are 
very  prevalent  among  women  —  at  least,  im- 
agined diseases  of  the  heart  exist,  which  may 
mean  very  much  the  same  thing. 

The  woman  who  feels  that  her  heart  action  is 
weak  may  try  the  exercise  very  lightly  at  first, 
and  with  gradually  increasing  exertion.  If  she 
finds  it  too  severe  for  her,  she  would  better 
leave  it  alone.  But  if  she  will  persevere, 


28     Physical  Training  for  Women 

without  fear,  taking  the  work  a  little  more 
strenuously  as  the  days  go  by,  and  never  to 
the  point  at  which  she  suffers  discomfort  in 
her  heart,  she  will  find  that  the  heart  action  is 
greatly  strengthened. 

And  now,  with  this  preliminary  warning,  we 
will  come  to  a  description  of  the  exercise  that 
is  illustrated  by  photograph  number  ten.  It 
represents  another  form  of  the  "struggle,"  a 
form  of  exercise  which  represents  all  that  is 
best  in  jiu-jitsu.  It  is  the  resistant  work  pure 
and  simple.  Every  muscle  employed  stands 
opposed  to  a  corresponding  one  in  the  body 
of  the  opponent. 

As  is  shown,  the  contestants  stand  facing 
each  other  with  feet  spread  wide  apart.  The 
arms  are  raised  horizontally  sideways,  and  the 
opposing  fingers  of  the  students  are  interlaced. 
Each  then  leans  forward  enough  to  enable  the 
pair  to  cross  necks  in  the  manner  that  the  illus- 
tration depicts.  The  body  is  made  as  tense  as 
is  possible  throughout,  and  then  the  assailant 
endeavours  to  press  the  victim's  neck  as  far  to 
the  opposite  side  as  is  possible,  the  victim  all 
the  while  resisting.  The  arms  are  employed 


Preliminary  Exercises          29 

in  moving  down  or  up  on  either  side  as  much 
as  may  be  done.  Both  contestants  should 
hold  their  arms  as  rigidly  as  they  can,  with 
tight,  firm  grip  of  the  hands.  The  upper  chest 
is  the  only  part  of  the  torso  that  should  touch. 

Now,  when  the  position  has  been  secured  and 
the  contestants  have  their  necks  crossed  as  much 
as  may  be  in  the  form  of  a  letter  "x,"  the  one 
who  is  to  make  the  assault  should  struggle  to 
push  the  victim's  head  over.  When  necks  are 
crossed  at  the  left  the  push  should  be  to  the 
right.  When  the  necks  are  crossed  at  the  right 
the  push  must  be  to  the  left.  The  upper  chest 
may  be  employed  to  advantage,  and  the  value 
of  the  use  of  the  arms  in  twisting  the  oppo- 
nent's head  over  should  never  be  lost  sight  of. 
The  main  strain  must  come  in  the  neck,  but 
all  of  the  muscles  from  the  neck  down  to  the 
abdomen  will  be  brought  into  play.  The 
arms,  too,  will  be  benefited,  especially  at 
the  wrists,  where  most  American  and  English 
women  are  weakest. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  practice  that  obtains 
among  jiu-jitsu  instructors  of  requiring  the 
pupil  to  think  for  himself.  In  the  analysis  of 


30     Physical  Training  for  Women 

the  foregoing  exercise  there  is  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  careful  study  of  the  work  that 
can  be  exacted  from  the  muscles. 

Take  each  part  of  the  body,  from  the  neck 
down,  that  is  brought  into  play.  Note  the 
tension  on  the  side  of  the  neck  that  is  crossed, 
and  the  amount  of  strain  on  the  side  of  the 
neck  that  is  not  crossed.  Try  the  work  again, 
and  note  the  corresponding  effect  on  the  mus- 
cles when  the  necks  are  crossed  on  the  other 
side.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  necks 
may  be  crossed  either  at  the  right  or  the  left 
side,  and  that  the  work  at  the  left  side  should 
not  be  neglected  in  favour  of  the  right. 

In  another  lesson,  study,  through  careful 
observation,  the  play  that  this  exercise  gives 
to  the  muscles  of  the  upper  chest  and  back. 
In  still  another  bout  come  down  to  the  small 
of  the  back,  the  abdomen,  and  the  arms,  espe- 
cially the  wrists.  Discover  how  the  muscles 
are  played  upon  in  these  parts.  Do  it  slowly 
and  intelligently,  and  it  is  surprising  how 
much  knowledge  of  the  use  of  muscles  is 
acquired. 

From  this  sort  of  work  the  real  student  will 


Preliminary  Exercises          31 

learn  much  that  she  will  never  forget.  She 
will  be  able  to  devise  variations  of  every  exer- 
cise that  is  described  in  this  volume.  She  will 
awake  by  degrees  to  the  fact  that  any  muscle 
may  be  strengthened  by  resistance  from  an- 
other muscle.  She  will  acquire  an  idea  of  the 
kind  of  work  that  brings  results  never  to  be 
achieved  by  such  simple  work  as  the  use  of 
Indian  clubs  and  dumb-bells.  Whenever  a 
muscle  is  to  be  hardened  the  trick  is  accom- 
plished by  using  some  other  muscle  resistantly 
against  it. 

When  a  Japanese  woman  has  reached  this 
stage  in  physical  training  she  is  encouraged  to 
practise  and  to  discover  all  manner  of  tricks  for 
training  the  muscles.  She  is  made  to  stand 
apart,  to  place  her  thumbs  across  her  thorax 
and  her  fingers  over  her  ears.  Then,  she  must 
bend  her  head  to  the  right,  resisting  to  the 
left,  and  then  do  exactly  the  reverse  thing. 
Then  she  must  place  her  thumbs  once  more 
over  the  thorax,  with  her  fingers  interlaced 
below  the  base  of  her  brain.  Now,  she 
must  bend  her  head  forward  and  backward — 
and  finally  sideways  —  always  resisting  the 


32     Physical  Training  for  Women 

movement  in  the  desired  direction  by  a  reverse 
use  of  the  muscles  in  the  other  direction.  Every 
possible  movement  along  these  lines  is  encour- 
aged, because  they  can  do  no  harm,  and  all  the 
while  the  instructor  stands  at  one  side,  looking 
on  but  making  no  comment.  His  teaching  is 
that  any  resistant  play  of  the  muscles  that 
does  not  cause  undue  fatigue  is  of  value  in 
strengthening  that  part  of  the  body  to  which 
the  muscles  belong. 

As  soon  as  the  reader  has  made  herself  real- 
ise the  need  of  analysis  it  will  be  time  to  take 
up  another  exercise  that  may  be  carried  out 
in  many  ways.  This  new  work  involves  the 
"struggle,"  but  one  of  a  kind  that  has  not 
been  described  as  yet.  The  two  opponents 
stand  facing  each  other,  each  bending  well  for- 
ward, and  with  feet  wide  apart.  Opposing 
hands  are  clasped,  preferably  with  fingers  in- 
terlaced, and  then  begins  what  might  be 
termed  a  "tug  of  war."  Each  strives  to  pull 
the  other  forward,  and  the  effort  is  kept  up 
until  the  fatigue  point  is  in  sight.  Of  course 
a  contestant  who  is  very  much  stronger  than 
her  opponent  should  allow  the  latter  to  gain  a 


fe  Jf 
s  I 


Preliminary  Exercises          33 

grudged  advantage  in  the  alternate  bout.  This 
is  an  all-round  exercise  that  is  employed  in 
many  of  the  Japanese  schools.  It  is  intended 
especially  for  the  strengthening  of  the  back, 
and  it  is  at  this  point  that  the  first  strain  of 
undue  fatigue  is  to  be  felt.  A  minute  of 
struggle  employed  in  this  work  should  be 
enough,  when  followed  by  deep  breathing,  and 
by  just  one  more  struggle  of  the  same  kind  as 
soon  as  both  students  are  breathing  properly. 
Photograph  number  eleven  depicts  this  form 
of  the  struggle  with  all  the  accuracy  that  is 
needed  for  a  quick  comprehension  of  the  work. 
Once  the  attitude  is  taken  all  that  is  needed  is 
for  the  contestants  to  begin  to  pull  each  other 
forward. 

In  photograph  number  twelve  is  shown  a 
form  of  exercise  that  does  much  to  develop 
the  legs  and  the  vital  organs.  The  woman 
who  finds  herself  becoming  too  fleshy  around 
the  waist-line  will  take  away  much  of  her  need- 
less flesh  if  she  will  practise  this  exercise  with 
the  persistency  that  is  needed  for  development 
of  the  body  at  a  period  in  life  when  birthdays 
come  with  annoying  frequency.  The  same 


34     Physical  Training  for  Women 

exercise,  taken  often  by  girls  and  young  wo- 
men, will  keep  flesh  from  accumulating  around 
the  waist-line.  Japanese  women  do  not  wear 
corsets,  yet  they  possess  as  slender  waists  as 
are  consistent  with  their  prettily  rounded 
contours. 

It  is  necessary  for  the  two  contestants  to  sit 
on  the  floor.  The  hands  are  placed  out  at  the 
sides,  a  little  behind  the  waist,  and  the  arms 
give  leverage.  Both  assailant  and  victim 
secure  support  from  the  hands  resting  on  the 
floor.  The  assailant  pushes  her  victim's  leg 
around  to  the  right  by  putting  the  flat  of  her 
own  right  foot  against  the  inside  ankle  bone  of 
the  victim's  right  foot,  the  victim  resisting  all 
the  while.  Then  the  left  foot  of  each  contest- 
ant is  employed  in  the  same  way.  After  that 
victim  and  assailant  change  places.  The  work 
should  not  be  kept  up  very  long  at  first,  but 
the  amount  of  it  may  be  increased  by  very 
gradual  degrees.  No  harm  can  result  from  the 
performance  of  this  exercise,  but  it  will  be 
found  that  the  task  requires  a  very  consider- 
able amount  of  balance  and  strength  in  the 
arms  and  legs  at  first.  Four  struggles  of  this 


Preliminary  Exercises          35 

kind,  one  with  each  foot  for  the  assailant,  and 
then  one  with  each  foot  by  the  victim  who 
has  changed  to  assailant,  will  be  found  to  be 
enough  in  any  practice  bout  at  first.  The 
amount  of  this  work  can  be  increased  gradu- 
ally, especially  in  the  case  of  a  student  who 
has  found  that  she  is  growing  too  rapidly  at 
the  waist-line.  It  is  the  habit  of  many  Ameri- 
can and  English  women  to  neglect  growing 
corpulency  at  the  waist-line  until  they  reach  the 
time  at  which  heroic  measures  are  necessary. 

The  student  is  advised,  as  she  would  be  in  a 
jiu-jitsu  school  in  Japan,  to  take  up  the  exer- 
cises described  in  the  first  chapter  as  the  found- 
ation. Those  given  in  this  chapter  will  be 
found  of  advantage  for  occasional  added  use. 
Not  all  of  the  exercises  can  be  taken  up  in  a 
single  bout  of  practice.  The  student  will  be 
able  to  decide  much  for  herself  as  to  which 
exercises  are  needed  in  the  greatest  frequency, 
but  all  of  those  that  have  been  described 
should  be  employed  at  least  once  in  a  while — 
and  there  is  no  use  in  taking  up  jiu-jitsu  physi- 
cal training  unless  it  is  to  be  persevered  in 
every  day  in  the  week. 


CHAPTER   III 

ADVANCED  WORK,   TO  BE  TAKEN  UP  AFTER  A 
FEW  WEEKS  OF  PRELIMINARY  TRAINING 

IT  is  not  expected  or  desired  that  the  woman 
student  will  take  up  any  of  the  exercises  de- 
scribed in  this  chapter  until  she  has  spent  some 
weeks  in  patient,  regular  study  of  the  feats  that 
have  been  described  already.  The  exercises 
that  are  to  be  described  now  are  those  that  are 
fitted  to  pupils  who  are  fairly  advanced — those 
who  have  learned  how  to  employ  their  muscles 
and  who  have  gained  the  strength  that  is 
needed  for  the  new  work. 

There  will  be  no  harm  in  practising  the  ex- 
ercises given  in  this  chapter  when  the  student 
finds  herself  strong  enough  to  go  through 
them  without  fatigue.  But  the  causing  of 
fatigue  must  be  the  guide.  Some  women  are 
naturally  strong  enough  to  go  quickly  through 
all  the  feats  described  in  this  volume.  Others 
36 


Advanced  Work  37 

will  have  to  take  them  up  in  the  sequence 
given,  care  being  taken  never  to  reach  the 
point  of  pronounced  fatigue.  In  this  each 
student  will  have  to  be  her  own  judge.  All  of 
the  exercises  are  presented  in  a  sequence  that 
will  enable  the  student  to  go  ahead  as  rapidly 
as  her  individual  strength  permits. 

For  the  woman  who  is  normally  strong,  and 
who  has  put  in  a  few  weeks  of  daily  work  in 
the  preliminary  work  given  in  the  first  two 
chapters,  there  is  nothing  in  the  work  of  this 
chapter  that  can  do  her  the  least  injury  unless 
it  is  carried  to  extremes.  The  motto  of  the 
patient  little  Japanese  is  MODERATION  IN 
EVERYTHING!  Through  observing  this  pre- 
liminary caution  the  American  woman  will  find 
herself,  after  following  systematic  daily  work 
for  a  little  while,  greatly  improved  in  strength 
and  in  suppleness. 

In  photograph  number  thirteen  is  shown  an 
exercise  which,  at  first  sight,  may  seem  to 
border  on  the  comical.  Yet  it  is  one  that 
should  be  taken  very  frequently,  without  too 
much  of  it  in  any  one  practice  bout.  One  of 
the  students,  who  may  be  designated  by  the 


38     Physical  Training  for  Women 

convenient  name  of  "victim,**  lies  on  the  floor, 
face  downward.  Her  "assailant"  takes  up 
position  behind  the  former's  feet.  The  assail- 
ant lifts  the  victim's  ankles,  holding  them 
clear  of  the  floor.  At  the  same  time  the  vic- 
tim raises  herself  clear  of  the  floor  by  leaning 
on  her  hands,  as  is  shown  in  the  illustration. 

As  soon  as  the  position  has  been  taken  cor- 
rectly, the  command,  "travel,"  is  given.  The 
victim,  walking  on  her  hands,  moves  forward. 
The  assailant  does  not  exert  much  strength — 
in  fact,  does  nothing  except  to  support  her 
fellow-student's  feet.  As  soon  as  a  few  steps 
forward  have  been  taken  the  victim  walks 
backward  upon  her  hands.  The  assailant 
does  not  push  in  going  forward,  nor  pull  in 
going  backward. 

By  degrees,  the  victim  should  learn  to  arch 
her  back  upward  as  far  as  possible,  yet  never 
to  the  point  of  straining.  At  first  it  will  be 
found  convenient  to  let  the  abdomen  remain 
close  to  the  floor,  the  arch  upward  increasing 
only  very  slowly  as  the  length  of  time  given  to 
this  exercise  goes  on. 

A  valuable  variation  in  this  work  will  be 


<\ 


No.  14.      THE  ASSAILANT  LETTING  THE   VICTIM  OVER  BACKWARD 
TO  THE  FLOOR. 


Advanced  Work  39 

found  if  the  assailant,  while  holding  the  vic- 
tim's ankles,  twists  the  latter 's  legs  and  trunk 
first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other.  More 
work  along  this  line  will  be  described  in  a  later 
chapter.  At  all  times,  in  twisting,  the  victim 
should  resist  the  twist  as  much  as  is  possible 
by  employing  her  own  muscles  to  twist  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

And  right  here  is  where  the  Japanese  prin- 
ciple of  allowing  the  student  to  instruct  him- 
self as  much  as  is  possible  comes  in  very 
forcibly.  In  this  feat  of  the  " travel"  the 
careful  student  will  discover  just  what  muscles 
are  used.  There  is  much  strain  upon  the  arms 
and  the  torso.  When  the  twist  of  the  legs 
and  the  body  is  employed  there  is  added  strain 
upon  the  torso,  while  the  legs  receive  additional 
exercise.  In  the  twisting  the  assailant  benefits, 
slowly,  by  exercise  of  the  wrists.  The  benefit 
to  the  victim,  however,  is  greater.  It  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  in  this,  as  in  all  other 
exercises,  victim  and  assailant  should  change 
places  as  soon  as  a  feat  has  been  accomplished. 

Photograph  number  fourteen  shows  a  some- 
what difficult  exercise.  It  is  one  that  many 


40     Physical  Training  for  Women 

women  cannot  accomplish  at  ail,  unless  the 
muscles  employed  have  been  well  hardened  by 
the  work  that  goes  before  this.  It  is  work, 
too,  that  should  be  employed  with  caution  in 
the  case  of  stout  wromen  or  those  inclined  to 
apoplexy  or  weakness  of  the  heart.  During 
the  first  two  or  three  weeks  after  this  exercise 
is  taken  up  it  should  be  employed  only  once  In 
each  practice  bout. 

The  assailant  should  clasp  her  hands  at  the 
small  of  the  victim's  back,  as  is  shown  in  the 
illustration.  The  next  move  is  for  the  assail- 
ant to  place  the  back  of  her  right  thigh  against 
the  back  of  her  victim's  right  thigh.  Now  the 
victim  bends  backward,  placing  her  whole 
weight  upon  the  assailant's  arms,  with  a  little 
added  support,  at  first,  from  the  assailant's 
thigh.  Now,  as  the  bending  backward  goes 
on  the  assailant  steps  slowly  forward,  gradu- 
ally lowering  the  victim  until  the  latter's  head 
touches  the  floor.  When  the  victim  is  weak 
it  will  be  found  better  not  to  lower  her  head  all 
the  way  to  the  floor  until  the  exercise  has  been 
practiced  for  two  or  three  weeks,  but  the  head 
may  be  let  lower  and  lower  on  succeeding  days. 


No.  15.      RAISING  THE  VICTIM   FROM  A  PROSTRATE  TO  AN   ERECT  POSITION 


Advanced  Work  41 

Photograph  number  fifteen  shows  the  work 
of  raising  the  victim  to  an  erect  position.  Do 
not  bring  up  the  victim  with  a  jerk,  but  raise 
her  as  gradually  as  she  was  lowered,  the  assail- 
ant moving  slowly  backward  in  short  steps  as 
the  lifting  is  accomplished.  While  this  is  bein^ 
done  the  victim  throws  her  full  weight  against 
the  assailant,  with  arms  hanging  down  and  the 
abdominal  muscles  as  tense  as  they  can  be 
made.  The  work  is  severe  upon  both  students, 
but  ics  benefits  will  be  discovered  by  noting 
the  muscles  that  are  strained  in  this  exercise. 

Caution  must  be  given  that  the  assailant, 
who  does  the  lowering  and  raising,  be  strong 
enough  to  hold  her  fellow-student.  Great 
pains  must  be  taken,  too,  that,  at  the  start  of 
the  lowering,  the  thighs  be  placed  against  each 
other  in  just  the  position  indicated.  The  as- 
sailant must  not  hurry  with  the  lowering,  as  a 
sudden  slip  forward  would  result  in  landing 
the  back  of  the  victim's  head  against  the  floor 
with  a  jar  that  would  not  make  for  good  physi- 
cal training.  It  is  an  exercise  to  be  employed 
always  with  caution,  but  its  benefits,  for  a 
normally  strong  woman,  are  great. 


42     Physical  Training  for  Women 

This  work  strengthens  the  whole  body,  from 
the  neck  to  the  toes.  There  is  not  a  muscle 
that  is  not  employed,  but  those  of  the  abdo- 
men, of  the  waist-line,  and  the  small  of  the 
back  will  receive  the  greatest  benefit  when  the 
work  is  rightly  done.  If  at  all  in  doubt, 
the  student  should  read  the  text  over  and 
over,  and  study  the  photograph  persistently. 
While  at  the  outset  one  of  these  feats  should 
be  enough  for  each  practice  bout,  students  who 
are  strong  enough  may  try  the  feat  twice  in 
each  bout  during  the  second  week,  three  times 
in  each  bout  during  the  third  week,  and  in 
this  ratio  until  both  students  are  able  to  per- 
form the  feat  five  or  six  times  in  a  single  bout. 
But  it  is  not  intended  that,  at  any  time,  this 
work  should  be  tried  more  than  in  three  bouts 
in  a  week. 

An  exercise  that  will  furnish  welcome  relief, 
and  one  which  will  do  much  to  strengthen  one 
for  the  foregoing  drill,  is  the  form  of  struggle 
shown  in  photograph  number  sixteen.  Here 
the  contestants  face  each  other.  Each  throws 
her  left  arm  around  the  waist  of  the  other. 
The  right  hand  of  each  is  employed  in  such  a 


No.  16.      A  THROAT-HOLD  TO  BE   EMPLOYED   RESISTANTLY. 


Advanced  Work  43 

way  as  to  get  a  good  grip  under  the  other's 
chin,  forcing  the  contestant's  head  back  as  far 
as  is  possible.  When  this  position  has  been 
taken  the  two  students  begin  to  struggle,  each 
trying  to  force  the  opponent  backward.  This 
struggle  may  be  carried  on  in  a  very  lively 
fashion,  where  the  students  are  about  evenly 
matched,  and  with  mutual  advantage.  They 
may  travel  all  round  the  room  in  the  contest. 
No  harm  can  be  done  in  this  work,  so  long  as 
a  fall  is  not  attempted.  Advanced  students 
who  are  sure  of  the  condition  of  their  muscles 
may  attempt  even  a  fall  where  the  floor  is 
padded,  as  with  gymnasium  mats.  But  it  is 
safer,  on  the  whole,  not  to  attempt  the  fall, 
even  in  the  advanced  stages  of  the  work,  as  a 
quick  wrench  at  the  instant  of  the  fall  might 
produce  lacerated  ligaments  of  one  or  both 
knees. 

This  exercise,  like  all  of  the  others,  may  be 
varied  in  many  ways  that  the  student  may 
solve  for  herself.  For  instance,  throw  the  left 
arm  around  the  antagonist's  waist  as  before, 
placing  the  right  hand  at  the  left  side  of  the 
victim's  neck.  Then  force  her  head  over  as 


44     Physical  Training  for  Women 

far  as  it  will  go  to  the  right,  the  victim  all  the 
while  resisting  this  pressure.  Then  the  victim 
should  bring  her  head  back  again  to  the  left, 
the  assailant  all  the  while  resisting  this  return 
movement.  In  this  case  it  is  not  necessary 
that  the  victim  have  her  arm  around  the  assail- 
ant's waist,  unless  support  is  gained  thereby. 

Still  another  beneficial  form  of  this  work  is 
found  when  the  two  students  take  the  same 
clasp,  with  left  arms  around  each  other's 
waists,  the  assailant  this  time  placing  the  right 
forearm  against  the  right  side  of  the  victim's 
neck.  The  assailant  presses  the  victim's  head 
over  as  far  as  possible  to  the  left,  until  even 
the  lower  abdominal  muscles  share  in  the 
strain.  When  the  victim  has  been  forced  thus 
over  to  the  left  as  far  as  is  possible,  she  strug- 
gles to  return  to  erect  position,  the  assailant 
now  resisting  in  turn. 

If  proper  pains  be  taken  to  make  sure  that 
the  muscles  at  the  waist-line  are  tensed  and 
strained  by  this  exercise,  it  is  all  but  impossible 
that  any  other  muscle  involved  can  fail  to  re- 
ceive its  proper  share  of  benefit.  The  wrists 
and  neck,  too,  come  in  for  their  share  of  play, 


Advanced  Work  45 

and  it  is  at  the  wrist  and  in  the  neck  that  the 
American  woman  is  most  likely  to  be  weak. 
These  two  parts  should  receive  much  attention. 

Now  has  been  presented  work  enough  for 
any  American  student  to  attempt  during  the 
first  three  months  of  her  training  in  jiu-jitsu. 
Many  students  will  go  ahead  with  it  much 
more  quickly,  and  a  comparative  few  will  be 
justified  in  so  doing.  Everything  depends 
upon  the  strength  of  the  student.  But  too 
much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the  point  that 
heavy  work — that  is,  work  requiring  the  utmost 
exertion  of  the  strength — does  not  produce 
the  quickest  results  in  the  building  up  of  the 
body.  Japanese  women  do  not  attempt  to 
strain  until,  by  easy  work,  gradually  increased 
in  strenuousness,  they  have  acquired  the  mus- 
cular development  that  fits  them  for  strain 
without  injury. 

While  daily  work,  faithfully  adhered  to,  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  proper  physical  de- 
velopment, it  is  not  intended  that  all  of  the 
exercises  described  in  the  foregoing  should  be 
taken  in  each  day's  bout  or  bouts  of  practice. 
The  better  rule  will  be,  at  the  beginning  of 


46     Physical  Training  for  Women 

each  bout,  to  select  certain  exercises  to  be  em- 
ployed at  the  time.  All  of  the  lighter  ones 
may  be  used,  and  should  be,  but  two  or  three 
of  the  harder  ones  will  suffice,  and  these 
should  be  used  in  turn,  so  that,  during  the 
week's  work,  one  is  used  as  frequently  as  the 
other. 

At  the  outset  most  students  will  be  tempted 
to  turn  the  performance  of  the  feats  into  tests 
of  comparative  strength.  This  is  a  tendency 
that  Japanese  instructors  strongly  discourage. 
Where  the  contest  is  a  friendly  one  it  makes 
no  difference  whether  the  assailant  or  the  vic- 
tim is  really  the  stronger.  It  is  sufficient — 
and  better — that  the  victim  resist  just  enough 
to  all  but  prevent  the  assailant's  victory.  If 
the  assailant  be  the  stronger,  she  should  be 
careful,  at  all  times,  to  employ  just  enough 
strength  to  overcome  the  victim's  resistance. 
This  matter  cannot  be  emphasised  too  strongly, 
for  the  resistance  of  one  muscle  to  another  is 
the  whole  essence  of  the  science  of  physical 
training  as  it  has  been  thought  out  by  the 
strong  little  men  and  women  of  Japan. 

In  the  exercise,  for  instance,  that  has  been 


Advanced  Work  47 

described  in  this  chapter,  where  one  student 
lets  the  other  over  backward,  and  then  raises 
her,  most  depends  upon  the  victim's  hanging 
her  full  weight  upon  the  other  contestant,  but 
much  depends  upon  both  tensing  their  muscles 
at  the  abdomen  and  waist.  In  the  neck  work 
the  utmost  resistance  that  does  not  exhaust 
must  be  employed. 

It  is  natural  for  the  student  to  wish  to  try 
tests  of  strength.  I  shall  describe  some  that 
will  be  convincing,  and  they  may  be  taken  at 
any  time,  provided  only  that  they  are  not 
carried  to  excess.  Lie  prostrate  on  the  floor 
on  the  right  side  of  the  body,  with  the  right 
arm  extended  in  a  line  with  the  body.  Now, 
resting  on  the  palm  and  ankle,  and  bringing 
the  hand  gradually  in  closer  to  the  body,  at- 
tempt to  rise  in  such  manner  that  head,  torso, 
and  legs  are  free  of  the  floor,  all  of  the  weight 
resting  on  the  right  hand  and  the  right  ankle. 
See  how  long  you  can  remain  in  this  position. 
It  is  well  to  have  some  friend  keep  the  time 
with  a  watch.  Few  American  women  can 
raise  themselves  at  all  in  this  fashion.  I  have 
known  Japanese  women  to  do  it,  and  to  remain 


48     Physical  Training  for  Women 

resting  on  palm  and  ankle  for  ninety  seconds. 
I  am  quite  prepared  to  believe  that  there  are 
Japanese  women  who  could  carry  the  strain  of 
such  a  position  for  a  period  considerably  ex- 
ceeding two  minutes. 

At  another  time,  try  the  same  exercise  on 
the  left  side.  There  is  a  tendency  among 
Americans  to  develop  the  strength  of  the  right 
side  at  the  expense  of  the  left,  and  for  this 
reason  the  raising  of  the  body  on  the  left  will 
be  found  much  more  difficult.  A  well-trained 
Japanese  woman  can  raise  herself  as  easily  on 
the  left  side  as  on  the  right,  and  this  is  because, 
in  the  jiu-jitsu  schools,  one  side  of  the  body  is 
trained  as  thoroughly  as  is  the  other. 

There  is  another  test  of  strength  that  will  be 
found  rather  severe,  but  it  shows  the  student 
how  she  is  progressing  in  muscular  develop- 
ment. Lie  upon  the  floor,  flat  on  the  back, 
with  feet  somewhat  spread,  and  with  hands  flat 
on  the  floor  a  little  back  of  the  shoulders. 
Next,  try  to  rise,  resting  the  weight  of  the 
body  on  the  palms  and  on  the  heels.  Note 
how  high  it  is  possible  to  raise  the  body,  arch- 
ing the  abdomen  up  as  far  as  is  possible.  Note 


Advanced  Work  49 

also  the  length  of  time  that  it  is  possible  to 
maintain  this  position.  The  longer  the  student 
can  hold  this  position  the  better,  she  may  be 
assured,  is  her  physical  development. 

It  is  possible,  by  the  means  of  these  exer- 
cises, for  a  woman  to  understand  just  how 
much  she  is  progressing  by  the  use  of  Japanese 
training  methods.  But  this  work,  like  all  of 
the  other  Japanese  work,  must  not  be  carried 
to  extremes.  The  essential  point  is  to  ascer- 
tain just  how  long  any  one  of  these  poses  can 
be  maintained  without  exhaustion. 

An  interesting  variation  of  the  last  exercise 
test,  and  one  that  carries  with  it  much 
strengthening  of  muscle, — if  the  work  be  not 
indulged  in  too  severely, — is  found  in  raising 
on  the  hands  and  heels,  and  twisting  the  body 
from  side  to  side — always  with  resistant  pres- 
sure in  the  other  direction. 

Another  test  of  strength — but  an  exercise 
that  should  not  be  employed  too  often — is 
found  in  throwing  the  arms  backward  over  the 
shoulders  and  clutching  at  something  like  a 
stationary  pole.  Then,  standing  as  far  as  is 
possible  from  the  pole,  the  student  should  bend 


50     Physical  Training  for  Women 

over  backward,  noting  the  amount  of  time 
that  this  difficult  pose  can  be  held. 

Another  test  of  strength  is  found  when  the 
student  bends  forward  to  the  right,  with  the 
right  palm  resting  on  the  floor  and  the  right 
foot  also,  while  the  left  hand  and  foot  are  kept 
clear  of  the  floor,  and  as  far  from  it  as  pos- 
sible. The  left  foot  should  be  as  far  back  as  is 
possible,  with  the  left  hand  as  far  forward  as  it 
may  be.  This  exercise  can  be  varied  by  rest- 
ing the  left  hand  and  foot  on  the  floor  and  ex- 
tending the  right  foot  backward  and  the  right 
hand  forward.  The  time  in  which  this  pose 
can  be  kept  should  be  noted  from  week  to 
week,  and  the  increase  in  the  number  of 
seconds  will  give  the  student  a  very  fair  idea 
of  the  gain  in  muscular  strength. 

Do  not  attempt  to  hurry  results. 

Do  not  forget,  after  the  performance  of  each 
feat,  to  breathe  deeply  at  the  open  window 
before  passing  on  to  other  work. 


CHAPTER   IV 

ESPECIAL    EXERCISES    FOR    THE    WAIST-LINE 
AND  FOR  THE  ORGANS 

No  one  who  has  seen  the  average,  normal 
Japanese  woman  can  fail  to  be  impressed  by 
the  beauty  of  her  waist-line,  nor,  in  fact,  by 
the  grace  that  is  shown  in  every  line  of  her 
torso.  An  anatomical  examination  will  prove 
that  most  Japanese  women  satisfy  the  artist's 
ideal,  as  well  as  the  surgeon's,  of  what  a  woman 
should  be  in  this  important  part  of  the  body. 

Of  course  there  are  torsos  that  do  not  meet 
the  best  requirements,  but  these  are  to  be 
found  only  among  the  women  who  have  not 
made  a  conscientious  study  of  jiu-jitsu.  The 
writer  of  this  volume  is  neither  an  artist  nor  a 
surgeon,  but  he  has  made  anatomical  studies 
of  the  Japanese  women  in  the  company  of  both 
artists  and  surgeons,  and  his  opinion  is  in- 
dorsed by  theirs  that  Japanese  women  show 


52     Physical  Training  for  Women 

not  only  the  most  strength,  but  the  utmost 
grace  of  contour.  And  this  is  true  especially 
of  the  torsos  of  the  Japanese  women. 

Nearly  all  of  the  work  that  has  been  de- 
scribed in  the  three  foregoing  chapters  is 
directed  at  splendid  and  graceful  development 
of  the  torso,  with  accompanying  benefit  to  the 
other  portions  of  the  body.  The  exercises 
that  are  to  be  described  now  are  those  that 
jiu-jitsu  instructors  insist  upon  as  being  of 
especial  value  at  the  waist-line  and  for  the 
whole  torso. 

None  of  these  exercises  should  be  taken  in 
every  succeeding  practice  bout,  but  should  be 
employed  from  time  to  time  as  the  student 
decides  for  herself.  At  first  it  will  be  best, 
undoubtedly,  to  employ  one  of  the  three,  in 
alternation,  in  the  practice  bouts  of  succeeding 
days.  All  three  of  these  exercises  should  be 
taken  in  moderation,  at  first,  and  by  very 
gradual  degrees  the  strain  of  the  work  should 
be  increased  until  both  students  reach  the  acme 
of  strain.  As  the  muscles  develop  in  strength 
the  possibility  of  danger  from  strain  is  obvi- 
ated. But  each  student  should  watch  care- 


Especial  Exercises  53 

fully  that  the  normally  increasing  strength  is 
not  abused.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  be  strong 
enough  to  be  able  to  perform  a  given  feat. 
The  student  must  be  able  to  perform  the 
especial  feat  without  the  least  feeling  of  strain  ; 
and,  when  there  is  a  feeling  of  strain  it  is  a 
sure  indication  that  the  work  is  being  carried 
on  with  more  zeal  than  discretion. 

I  have  had  more  or  less  experience  with 
American  women  who  have  undertaken  the 
whole  system  with  a  view  to  mastering  it 
within  a  week  or  two.  They  have  gone  into 
the  work  too  earnestly.  Jiu-jitsu  exercises 
sent  the  blood  tingling  through  their  bodies ; 
they  felt  as  exhilarated  as  if  they  had  taken 
stimulants,  and  they  wanted  to  keep  on  at  the 
work  indefinitely.  At  the  first  sign  of  exhaus- 
tion it  has  been  necessary  for  me  to  give  a 
peremptory  command :  ' '  Stop ! ' '  And,  some- 
times, this  is  hard  to  do,  for  the  woman  who 
is  full  of  bounding  health  feels  that  she  can 
endure  easily  another  half-hour  of  work.  The 
exercises  are  so  strengthening  and  stimulating 
that  it  is  hard  to  know  when  to  stop.  The  in- 
telligent student  will  know  when  to  cease  work 


54     Physical  Training  for  Women 

by  the  feeling  of  the  first  indication  of  fatigue. 
If  she  lies  upon  her  back,  with  feet  spread  and 
arms  extended,  taking  deep  breaths  all  the 
while,  she  may  be  able  to  return  safely  to 
work  in  the  same  practice  bout.  After  a  good 
deal  of  persistent  practice  at  jiu-jitsu  these 
symptoms  of  fatigue  will  be  felt  but  seldom. 

In  photograph  number  seventeen  is  shown  a 
form  of  exercise  that  may  be  used  to  the 
utmost  advantage,  always  provided  that  it  is 
not  overdone.  Let  the  two  students  stand  at 
the  left  of  each  other.  The  left  side  of  one 
should  be  opposed  directly  to  the  left  side  of 
the  other,  each  stepping  far  enough  forward  to 
bring  this  about.  Now,  let  each  one  grasp 
the  other  by  the  shoulders,  as  is  shown  in  the 
illustration,  with  the  left  waist-line  of  one 
pressing  firmly  against  the  left  waist-line  of  the 
other.  Hands  and  arms  should  be  made 
firmly  tense,  and  so  should  the  muscles  of  the 
torso,  principally  at  the  waist -line,  and  in  a 
less  degree  above. 

When  this  position  has  been  well  secured 
the  student  who  is  to  act  as  the  assailant 
should  walk  around  to  the  right,  while  the 


No    17.      EMPLOYED  AT  LEFT  SIDE  OF  EACH   CONTESTANT. 


Especial  Exercises  55 

victim,  resisting  all  the  while,  pivots  upon  her 
heels.  While  this  position  is  not  always  an 
easy  one  to  keep  until  the  muscles  have  been 
trained  thoroughly,  it  will  be  well  if  the  assail- 
ant forces  the  victim  around  three  or  four 
times  before  the  exercise  is  discontinued.  All 
depends  upon  the  amount  of  resistance  that 
the  victim  employs — always  bearing  in  mind 
that,  if  the  assailant  be  the  weaker,  the  resist- 
ance should  be  just  enough  to  make  the  victor 
work  for  the  victory. 

When  this  has  been  accomplished,  assailant 
and  victim  should  change  relations  as  soon  as 
a  little  deep  breathing  has  been  practised. 
Not  more  than  two  of  these  exercises  should 
be  attempted  in  a  single  bout  until  the  time 
comes  when  both  contestants  find  that  the 
work  can  be  undertaken  without  undue  strain. 
But  it  should  be  remembered  that  advanced 
students  ought  to  take  up  this  exercise  with 
determined  purpose  at  least  every  third  day. 

As  a  variation  of  the  exercise  the  assailant, 
when  the  same  initial  position  has  been  taken, 
may  force  the  victim  over  slowly  to  the  latter's 
right.  The  victim  is  supposed  to  resist  all  the 


56     Physical  Training  for  Women 

while.  When  the  victim  has  been  forced  as 
far  over  to  the  right  as  she  can  go,  she  forces 
the  late  assailant  over  to  the  side  in  the  other 
direction,  encountering  as  much  resistance  as 
can  be  offered  her  without  preventing  victory. 
This  movement  should  be  taken  very  slowly ; 
the  greatest  benefit  comes  from  the  tensing 
and  straining  of  the  muscles  at  the  waist-line. 
The  arms  and  the  shoulders,  as  well,  must  be 
used  with  considerable  strength.  With  the  in- 
variable proviso  that  there  is  no  panting  or 
undue  palpitation  of  the  heart  the  student  will 
know  that  she  is  not  injuring  herself. 

After  such  an  exercise  it  will  not  be  un- 
natural for  the  average  American  woman  whose 
muscles  have  not  been  hardened  to  feel  sore 
around  the  waist-line  the  next  day.  Such 
soreness  is  a  sure  indication  that  she  has  taken 
the  exercise  too  severely.  In  that  case,  during 
the  next  few  trials  of  the  feat,  it  will  be  well 
for  the  assailant  to  employ  less  pressure  and 
for  the  victim  to  offer  less  resistance.  But  the 
student  who  has  followed  faithfully  the  course 
outlined  in  the  preceding  chapters,  and  who 
has  not  made  too  much  haste  to  reach  this 


No.  18       RESISTANT  BACK  WORK  WITH  SLIGHT  BENDING   BY  BOTH 
CONTESTANTS. 


Especial  Exercises  57 

exercise,  will  find  her  muscles  in  such  hardened 
condition  that  this  work  will  have  no  power  to 
make  her  feel  lame  in  the  waist  region. 

Even  the  student  who  has  been  at  the  work 
but  a  few  days  should  not  feel  lame  afterwards, 
if  the  injunction  as  to  moderateness  has  been 
followed.  If,  however,  too  much  zeal  has 
been  shown,  and  the  back  is  lame,  the  exer- 
cise depicted  in  photograph  number  eighteen 
may  be  employed  mildly.  Here  the  two  op- 
ponents face  each  other,  clasping  hands  over 
their  heads.  The  clasp  must  be  a  firm  one, 
with  all  of  the  muscles  of  the  arms  tense.  The 
assailant  forces  the  arms  of  her  victim  over 
backward,  making  the  latter  bend  her  body 
slightly.  Then  the  victim  turns  assailant  and 
forces  her  companion  over  backward  in  turn. 
The  victim  always  resists  the  pressure  over 
backward,  while  the  assailant  employs  just 
enough  more  strength  to  gain  a  victory.  In 
case  of  lameness  at  the  back,  or  in  the  sides,  it 
will  be  understood  that  neither  assailant  nor 
victim  is  to  use  too  much  strength  until  the 
lameness  has  disappeared. 

In  this,  as  in  all  other  exercises,  there  is  a 


58     Physical  Training  for  Women 

useful  variation.  When  the  two  students 
stand  with  each  other's  hands  clasped  over- 
head, as  directed  in  the  last  exercise,  let  the  as- 
sailant twist  slowly  over  to  the  right,  the 
victim  all  the  while  resisting  to  the  left.  The 
victim  should  be  twisted  well  over;  and,  when 
the  last  point  of  bending  has  been  attained, 
the  victim  should  turn  assailant  and  bend  over 
to  the  other  side,  the  hands  being  carried  well 
over  the  heads  of  the  contestants  in  so  doing. 

There  is  still  another  form  in  which  this 
work  is  employed  when  the  students  stand 
with  each  other's  hands  clasped  overhead. 
That  is,  for  each  to  back  away  a  little  from  the 
other.  The  assailant  now  bends  forward  as 
much  as  need  be,  and  forces  the  victim  to 
bend  forward,  the  latter  resisting.  The  latter 
must  not  bend  her  knees  in  bending  forward, 
but  the  nearer  her  hands  are  brought  to  her 
feet  the  more  perfectly  is  the  work  performed. 
A  counter  movement  upward  is  not  valuable 
in  this  exercise. 

There  are  many  other  exercises  that  ingeni- 
ous students  can  plan  for  themselves  when 
starting  at  the  position  of  hands  clasped  over- 


No.  19.      RESISTANT  NECK  WORK. 


Especial  Exercises  59 

head.  There  are  many  sway  ings  and  bendings 
that  may  be  practised  with  benefit  from  this 
starting  pose.  Any  exercise  of  this  nature, 
that  can  be  begun  at  the  starting  pose  and 
carried  on  with  resistance  on  the  part  of  the 
victim,  and  with  endurable  strain  at  the  waist- 
line for  both  would  meet  with  the  approval  of 
a  jiu-jitsu  instructor. 

Another  form  of  exercise  that  is  simpler  of 
execution,  yet  which  affords  perhaps  more 
muscular  strain  when  carried  out  with  zeal,  is 
that  shown  in  photograph  number  nineteen. 
Here  each  contestant  stands  well  to  the  left  of 
the  other.  The  left  hand  of  each  is  pressed 
against  the  left  side  of  the  other's  face.  The 
feet  are  kept  as  rigid  as  is  possible.  In  this 
position  the  assailant  presses  the  victim's  head 
over,  the  latter  all  the  while  resisting  by  press- 
ure in  the  opposite  direction.  As  soon  as  the 
victim's  head  has  been  pushed  as  far  over  to 
the  right  as  may  be  done,  the  victim  returns, 
forcing  her  late  assailant's  head  over  as  far  to 
the  right  as  is  possible.  When  this  exercise 
has  been  carried  to  its  fullest  development  it  is 
possible  for  the  two  students  to  make  the  exer- 


60     Physical  Training  for  Women 

cise  one  of  alternative  swaying,  the  movement 
becoming  more  brisk,  and  resulting  in  great 
benefit  to  the  wrists,  arms,  necks,  and  torsos. 

When  the  work  has  been  carried  out  thor- 
oughly on  the  left  side  it  should  be  taken  up 
at  the  right  side.  Another  variation  is  found 
when  the  students  employ  their  left  hands  in 
getting  a  good  grip  at  each  other's  chins,  each 
forcing  the  other's  body  over  backward  in  turn. 
Then  the  right  hands  may  be  used.  In  this 
form  of  backward  bending  the  assailant  should 
stand  well  at  the  side  of  the  victim  whom  she 
is  forcing. 

Doubtless  it  will  seem  difficult  to  plan  varia- 
tions of  the  work  just  described.  It  is  in  this 
matter  that  the  ingenuity  of  the  student  comes 
in.  Here  is  a  sample  variation  that  would  not 
occur  readily  to  the  new  student  of  jiu-jitsu  : 
Let  the  victim  bend  forward,  without  bending 
her  knees,  so  that  her  hands  touch  her  feet,  or 
nearly  so.  Now,  let  the  assailant  place  her 
hand — either  one — on  the  back  of  the  victim's 
head.  The  victim,  employing  all  of  her  mus- 
cles that  she  can,  raises  her  head  slowly  against 
the  assailant's  pressure.  Of  course  the  latter 


Especial  Exercises  61 

does  not  employ  too  much  strength,  yet 
enough  to  make  the  victim's  effort  as  difficult 
as  the  latter's  strength  will  permit. 

Then  there  is  still  another  form  that  may  be 
suggested.  Let  the  victim  bend  her  head  for- 
ward until  it  is  on  a  level  with  her  abdomen. 
She  may  rest  her  hands  in  any  position  that 
is  comfortable,  although  preferably  upon  her 
hips.  The  assailant  presses  her  left  hand 
against  the  left  side  of  the  victim's  face,  and 
tries  to  press  the  head  around.  The  victim 
resists.  Then  the  attack  is  made  with  the 
right  hand  against  the  right  side  of  the  victim's 
face,  with  the  same  resistant  work.  After  this 
victim  and  assailant  change  places.  At  first  it 
may  prove  difficult  for  the  victim  to  maintain 
her  equilibrium,  but  the  ability  to  do  so  in- 
creases with  each  repetition  of  the  drill. 

A  movement  that  brings  much  relief  when 
there  is  danger  of  straining  the  muscles  by  too 
vigorous  exercises  for  the  back  is  found  when 
two  students  stand  erect  and  back  to  back. 
Heads  and  trunks  should  touch.  Then  the 
assailant,  using  the  back  of  her  head,  with 
some  assistance  from  her  back,  presses  her 


62     Physical  Training  for  Women 

victim's  head  forward  as  far  as  possible.  When 
this  is  accomplished,  the  victim  turns  assailant 
and  presses  her  companion's  head  back  in  the 
opposite  direction.  In  this  exercise  hands  are 
held  on  the  hips,  and  each  resists  the  other's 
attempt  to  press  the  head  forward.  Care  must 
be  taken  not  to  carry  this  work  to  the  point  of 
fatigue.  It  should  be  taken,  rather,  as  a  relief 
from  sore  muscles ;  and  it  is  especially  valuable 
when  used  mildly  on  the  day  following  too 
muscular  strain. 

By  way  of  change,  the  student  who  has 
made  the  mistake  of  carrying  exercise  to  the 
point  of  causing  lameness  should  attach  a  rope 
to  a  hook  or  ring  in  the  wall.  At  the  hand- 
end  of  the  rope  should  be  a  loop.  Thrust  the 
hand  through  the  loop,  take  firm  hold,  and 
bend  slowly  backward,  resisting  the  bend  as 
much  as  may  be  done.  Then  rise  to  erect 
position,  resisting  the  upward  movement  by 
throwing  the  weight  of  the  body  against  it. 

At  no  time  should  the  importance  of  possess- 
ing strong  wrists  be  overlooked.  I  have  met 
frequently  women  who  possessed  arms  that 
showed  surprising  development  of  muscle — ex- 


Especial  Exercises  63 

cept  at  the  wrists.  These  could  be  turned 
backward  and  forward  with  the  utmost  ease  on 
the  part  of  the  experimenter.  The  various 
forms  of  resistant  work  for  the  wrist  already 
described  should  constitute  the  first  part  of 
the  exercise  in  each  practice  bout.  Where 
there  are  two  students  there  should  be  wrist- 
to-wrist  work  first  of  all.  And,  in  her  own 
room,  the  student  should  follow  the  directions 
given  for  individual  practice  along  these  lines. 

Another  exercise  whose  value  cannot  be 
emphasized  too  much  at  this  stage  of  the  work 
is  the  "travel."  Most  women  suffer  from  too 
weak  ankles.  While  the  "travel"  is  intended, 
in  the  first  place,  for  the  development  of  nearly 
every  part  of  the  body  except  the  ankles,  this 
latter  may  be  had  when  the  student  who  holds 
the  other's  feet  twists  the  ankle  from  side  to 
side,  the  victim  all  the  while  resisting.  And 
this  should  be  done  every  time  that  the 
"travel"  is  attempted.  In  a  woman,  espe- 
cially, weak  ankles  afford  a  very  sure  indication 
of  general  weakness. 

By  way  of  increasing  the  strength  of  the 
ankles  the  Japanese  student  of  jiu-jitsu  is 


64     Physical  Training  for  Women 

taught  to  seat  herself,  and,  raising  one  foot, 
to  take  the  ankle-bones  between  the  two  hands 
with  a  firm  grip,  twisting  the  foot  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  always  resisting  the  move- 
ment in  one  direction  by  a  pressure  of  the  foot 
in  the  other.  This  very  simple  exercise  is 
equally  valuable  in  increasing  the  strength  of 
the  wrists.  When  one  ankle  has  been  exer- 
cised thus  the  other  is  taken  up  in  turn,  and 
this  is  work  that  can  be  carried  on  at  any  time 
without  the  aid  of  a  fellow-student.  Yet  it  is 
of  decided  advantage  when  companions  twist 
each  other's  ankles,  always  with  resistance  on 
the  part  of  the  victim. 

It  must  be  insisted  once  more  that  no  exer- 
cise is  as  important  to  health  and  strength  as 
is  the  practice  of  deep  breathing.  No  exercise 
should  be  repeated  or  be  followed  by  another 
until  several  breaths  have  been  taken  at  an 
open  window  or  in  the  open  air.  And  every 
practice  bout  should  be  followed  by  a  bath, 
which  will  remove  all  the  impurities  of  the 
body  that  the  work  has  brought  to  the  skin. 
To  exercise  seriously  and  vigorously,  and  then 
not  to  follow  with  a  bath  would  be  looked 


1  Exercises  65 


upon  as  a  venial  sin  by  any  Japanese  physical 
instructor. 

Nor  would  the  same  instructor  permit  the 
eating  of  food  directly  after  the  taking  of  jiu- 
jitsu  work.  Some  little  time — from  an  hour 
to  an  hour  and  a  half — should  elapse  between 
bath  and  food.  Even  when  the  proper  interval 
has  been  observed,  it  is  advised  with  great 
emphasis,  that  the  meal  be  a  light  one. 

But  the  importance  of  drinking  pure  water 
cannot  be  overestimated.  It  may  be  consumed 
during  the  exercise  period,  if  this  seem  neces- 
sary, but  a  drink  of  water  should  always  begin 
the  bout,  and  a  considerably  larger  quantity 
should  be  used  very  soon  after  the  bout  has 
finished. 


CHAPTER  V 

FRESH  AIR  THE  VITALISER   IN   WOMANHOOD 
—SOME  OTHER  SUGGESTIONS 

THE  Japanese  woman  who  has  reached  the 
stage  of  development  that  has  been  provided 
for  in  the  description  of  jiu-jitsu  that  has  been 
given  already  is  taught  to  think  for  herself  to 
a  great  extent.  It  is  at  this  point  that  the 
student  is  made  to  think  for  herself. 

First  of  all,  the  Japanese  woman  has  been 
taught  that  life  is  impossible  without  a  suffi- 
cient supply  of  fresh  air.  The  purer  the  air, 
and  the  more  of  it,  the  happier  and  healthier 
will  life  be.  In  Japan  there  is  found  but 
seldom  such  a  thing  as  window-glass.  In  the 
native  houses  the  panes  are  of  oiled  paper. 
These  are  not  sufficient  to  shut  out  the  air. 
During  the  coldest  nights  of  winter  these  oiled- 
paper  panes  will  not  do  this.  But  the  Japanese 
sleep  rarely  with  these  paper  windows  closed. 

66 


Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser         67 

Fresh  air — and  a  great  abundance  of  it — is 
the  Japanese  rule.  The  woman  who  lies  down 
for  her  night's  rest  has  the  paper-paned  win- 
dow thrown  open  a  trifle.  The  air  sweeps  into 
the  room  and  passes  over  her  as  she  lies  upon 
the  floor.  If  she  is  cold,  she  adds  more  bed- 
clothing — but  she  does  not  close  the  window. 

In  the  morning  one  of  the  first  tasks  is  to 
go  out-of-doors.  There  the  Japanese  woman 
takes  in  great  breaths  of  air.  This  internal 
cleansing  with  air  is  treated  as  being  of  more 
importance  than  the  morning  bath  that  follows 
soon  after.  The  kitchen  and  the  other  rooms 
of  the  house  show  closed  windows  only  on  the 
coldest  days  of  winter.  There  is  no  air-starva- 
tion. And  the  Japanese  woman  is  a  deep 
breather,  as  is  shown  in  the  strong,  firm  muscles 
that  stand  out  at  the  abdomen. 

Consumption  is  a  rare  disease  in  Japan. 
Even  in  winter  coughs  are  of  rare  occurrence, 
and  this  despite  the  fact  that  the  real  Japanese 
do  not  heat  their  rooms  with  anything  more 
than  an  hibachi — a  tiny  charcoal  stove  that  does 
not  send  the  temperature  of  the  room  up  to 
any  appreciable  degree,  but  serves  mainly  for 


68     Physical  Training  for  Women 

heating  tea,  for  warming  the  hands,  or  for  sup- 
plying the  fire  for  a  cigarette  or  pipe  for  the 
men  of  the  household.  When  Japanese  women 
wish  to  feel  warmer  they  add  clothing,  just  as 
they  would  do  when  going  out  into  the  street. 

It  should  be  kept  in  mind  constantly  by  all 
students  of  this  art  that  the  Japanese  look 
upon  full,  deep  breathing  as  being  the  most 
vital  function  in  life.  Food  is  not  as  import- 
ant, although  it  is  necessary.  The  best  of 
exercises  are  of  little  value  when  the  breathing 
that  accompanies  them  is  not  done  properly. 

Whether  in  winter  or  in  summer,  go  to  an 
open  window — or,  better  still,  out-of-doors. 
Place  the  hands  on  the  hips,  and  try  to  breathe 
in  as  deeply  as  possible.  Try  to  acquire  the 
trick  of  sending  the  fresh  air  down  so  far  that 
the  lowest  portion  of  the  abdomen  is  distended 
by  the  work.  In  this  work  the  shoulders 
should  not  be  raised,  but,  in  time,  it  should  be 
possible  to  breathe  so  as  to  swell  out  the  sides 
like  bellows.  And  then  the  trick  of  breathing 
properly  has  been  acquired ;  it  will  never  leave 
the  student.  Add  to  this,  at  all  times,  a  plen- 
tiful supply  of  fresh  air,  with  the  windows  of  a 


Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser         69 

room  open  at  all  times  during  the  twenty-four 
hours,  and  the  greatest  principle  of  healthy  life 
has  been  gained. 

In  Anglo-Saxon  countries  the  corset  has 
come  into  such  vogue  that  it  is  almost  madness 
to  attack  it.  But  the  corset,  no  matter  how 
loosely  it  is  worn,  restricts  breathing,  and  for 
that  reason  it  strikes  the  first  deadly  blow  at 
the  life  of  woman.  Deep  and  full  breathing  is 
impossible  with  the  corset.  In  Japan  corsets 
are  worn  only  by  a  very  few  "progressive" 
women  who  ape  Western  customs.  The  Jap- 
anese woman  who  has  never  seen  a  corset  will 
be  able,  generally,  to  show  a  torso  that  will 
delight  the  artist  or  the  sculptor.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  say  more  about  the  corset,  except 
that  the  writer  would  not  undertake  to  train  a 
woman  who  did  not  agree  at  the  outset  to 
avoid  corsets  in  the  future. 

In  any  of  the  exercises  that  have  been  de- 
scribed in  preceding  chapters,  or  those  that  are 
to  be  outlined  in  following  ones,  the  practice 
of  the  deepest  breathing  must  be  observed. 
Every  one  who  has  watched  a  day-labourer 
swinging  the  pick  has  noted  the  "ugh"  with 


70     Physical  Training  for  Women 

which  he  lets  his  implement  strike  the  earth. 
This  is  due  to  his  instinctive  knowledge  of  the 
necessity  for  breath.  Japanese  athletes,  when 
exercising,  give  vent  to  the  same  grunts,  which 
might  be  called  gasps.  It  is  by  this  method 
that  fresh  air  is  carried  deeply  into  the  body. 
It  is  through  this  kind  of  exercise  that  the 
vital  forces  of  the  body  are  kept  at  their 
best  pitch  through  the  employment  of  deep 
breathing. 

No  matter  what  portion  of  the  work  a  Japan- 
ese woman  is  taking  up,  she  is  taught,  between 
each  exercise,  to  go  to  the  window  and  to  in- 
hale a  few  deep  breaths.  It  is  folly  to  take  up 
a  new  exercise  until  the  organs  have  been  re- 
freshed by  the  introduction  of  several  copious 
breaths  of  air. 

The  woman  who  expects  to  become  a  mother 
will  find  that  deep,  full  breathing  of  pure  air 
will  have  an  inestimable  effect  upon  her  child. 
The  child  will  start  in  life  with  lungs  vastly 
bettered ;  the  heart  action  will  be  more  regular, 
and — which  is  of  considerable  importance — 
the  mother  herself  will  discover  that  her  own 
lungs  and  heart  are  vastly  benefited. 


Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser         71 

A  very  simple  exercise  that  can  be  taken 
with  great  advantage  at  any  time  of  the  day 
will  be  found  when  the  student  stands  erect, 
with  her  hands  upon  her  hips.  She  should 
swing  slowly  from  side  to  side.  It  is  necessary 
to  resist  the  movement  to  one  side  by  a  press- 
ure in  the  opposite  direction.  Thus,  while  she 
is  swinging  to  the  right  she  should  resist  this 
movement  by  a  counter-pressure  to  the  left. 
And  all  the  while,  she  should  take  in  great 
gulps  of  fresh  air. 

A  useful  variation  of  this  work  may  be 
found  by  standing  in  the  same  attitude,  with 
the  hands  on  the  hips.  Bend  forward,  resist- 
ing backward.  Then  bend  backward,  resisting 
by  a  forward  pressure.  In  like  manner  sway 
from  side  to  side,  always  resisting  along  the 
lines  described.  And  never  forget  to  breathe 
deeply  all  the  while  that  this  work  is  being 
done! 

Many  an  American  woman  is  troubled  with 
a  weak  heart.  This  is  so  rare  an  affliction  in 
Japan  that  none  of  the  systems  of  jiu-jitsu 
offer  any  help  for  the  trouble.  Yet,  from  a 
general  study  of  the  principles  ol  jiu-jitsu,  it  is 


72     Physical  Training  for  Women 

not  difficult  to  suggest  an  excellent  exercise 
for  those  who  are  afflicted  with  heart  trouble 
in  any  of  its  forms.  Stand  erect  with  the 
arms  held  out  horizontally  at  the  sides.  Clos- 
ing the  fists  and  tensing  the  arms  as  much  as 
possible,  swing  from  side  to  side,  always  resist- 
ing a  turn  to  the  right  by  pressure  to  the  left, 
and  reversing  this  when  the  swing  is  made  to 
the  left.  With  the  arms  held  in  the  same 
position,  bend  forward,  resisting  by  a  back- 
ward pressure,  and  then  reverse  by  bending 
backward  and  exerting  a  forward  pressure. 
When  this  work  is  done  very  slowly  and  easily 
the  muscles  of  the  heart  are  strengthened,  but 
at  first  the  student  should  go  at  it  very  easily. 
The  strain  of  the  work  may  be  increased 
gradually  as  the  student  finds  the  muscles  of 
the  heart  "becoming  stronger.  The  slightest 
sign  of  distress  in  the  heart  must  be  taken 
always  as  the  danger-signal,  and  then  the  work 
is  to  be  made  lighter,  or  abandoned  for  a  day 
or  two. 

At  any  time  when  any  fatigue  has  been  in- 
curred that  rest  and  deep  breathing  will  remedy 
the  Japanese  method  calls  for  the  student  to 


Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser         73 

lie  on  the  floor  on  the  flat  of  the  back.  The 
arms  are  placed  out  sideways,  while  the  feet 
are  spread  as  much  as  is  possible.  Then  the 
student  breathes  deeply  until  relief  comes. 

In  the  next  chapter  it  is  the  writer's  purpose 
to  describe  feats  that  make  for  the  strengthen- 
ing of  the  back.  As  nearly  all  of  this  work  is 
dependent  upon  the  strength  of  the  hands 
and  wrists,  it  will  be  necessary,  first  of  all,  to 
strengthen  these  important  parts  of  the  body. 

In  the  first  exercise  the  two  students  stand 
facing  each  other,  with  right  arms  reaching  out 
toward  each  other.  The  victim's  hand  is  held 
so  that  the  palm  is  downward.  Now,  the  as- 
sailant takes  hold  of  the  victim's  thumb  with 
her  whole  hand,  clasping  the  thumb  tightly, 
and  pushing  it  up  and  over  to  the  right  side. 
All  the  while  the  victim  resists  as  much  as  is 
possible,  until  her  body  has  been  bent  over  to 
the  right  side. 

When  this  has  been  accomplished,  it  is  time 
for  victim  and  assailant  to  change  places,  going 
through  the  same  work.  Then  the  left  arm 
of  each  is  extended,  and  the  victim's  thumb, 
from  the  same  starting  position,  is  forced  up 


74     Physical  Training  for  Women 

and  over  to  the  left  side.  In  the  same  manner 
the  forefingers  of  right  and  left  hands  are 
treated,  and,  after  that,  the  second,  third,  and 
fourth  fingers.  The  wrists  share  as  much  in 
the  benefit  of  this  work  as  do  the  thumbs  or 
fingers. 

,  But  care  must  be  exercised,  at  first,  that  not 
too  much  vim  is  put  into  the  work.  The  as- 
sailant has  it  all  her  own  way.  It  is  possible, 
in  the  beginning,  for  the  assailant  to  press  over 
her  victim's  thumb  or  finger  to  an  extent  that 
will  cause  considerable  pain.  When  the  work 
has  been  kept  up  for  weeks  there  will  be  no 
pain.  At  first,  however,  it  is  possible  for  the 
assailant  and  victim  to  have  very  sore — and, 
sometimes,  swollen  —  thumbs  and  fingers. 
This  exercise  is  especially  severe  upon  some  of 
the  muscles  in  the  front  of  the  wrist. 

When,  with  care,  this  form  of  exercise  has 
been  mastered,  and  there  is  no  longer  danger 
of  soreness  in  the  muscles  employed,  another 
form  of  the  work  can  be  taken  up  with  advan- 
tage. In  this  form  the  victim  stands  with  arm 
outstretched  before  her,  her  palm  open  and 
thumb  up.  The  assailant  seizes  the  right 


Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser         75 

thumb  with  the  right  hand,  and  presses  the 
victim's  thumb  up  over  her  head  and  as  far 
back  as  may  be.  Then  left  hand  is  opposed 
similarly  to  left  thumb,  and  the  work  is  carried 
out  with  all  of  the  fingers,  assailant's  and 
victim's  right  hands  or  left  hands  being  always 
opposed  to  each  other. 

By  the  time  that  this  form  of  exercise  can 
be  employed  without  danger  of  causing  undue 
soreness  it  is  well  for  the  victim  to  stand  with 
her  right  arm  extended  horizontally  sideways, 
thumb  up.  The  assailant  seizes  this  thumb 
and  slowly  but  firmly  forces  her  opponent 
around  to  the  right,  the  work  ceasing  when  the 
victim,  pivoting  upon  her  heels,  has  been  made 
to  turn  once  around.  Then  assailant  and  vic- 
tim change  places,  and  the  work  is  repeated. 
In  like  manner  all  of  the  fingers  of  each  hand 
are  employed  by  each  of  the  students. 

This  work  will  give  the  greatest  strength  and 
suppleness  to  the  thumbs  and  fingers  of  a 
student — but  the  benefit  to  the  wrist  is  even 
greater.  Great  care  should  be  taken,  however, 
to  make  sure  that  the  right  hand  and  wrist  are 
not  trained  at  the  expense  of  the  left.  And 


76     Physical  Training  for  Women 

resistance  by  the  victim  must  be  employed  at 
all  times ;  unless  this  is  done  there  can  be  no 
benefit. 

Another  form  of  wrist  work  is  found  when 
the  contestants  kneel  on  the  floor,  facing  each 
other.  Each  seizes  the  other's  hands,  with 
fingers  interlaced.  Then  begins  a  battle  royal, 
each  student  endeavouring,  in  this  exercise,  to 
pull  the  other  forward.  The  one  who  has 
been  agreed  upon  in  advance  as  the  assailant 
wins  the  victory  at  last,  but  the  contest  should 
be  a  stubborn  one.  The  contestant  turns  her 
right  knee  to  the  right,  and  her  left  knee  to  the 
left,  in  the  wriggling  struggle  to  drag  her 
opponent,  but  the  strain  upon  the  wrists  and 
fingers  should  be  severe  at  all  times. 

By  the  time  that  the  two  contesting  students 
have  mastered  the  preliminary  training  for  the 
fingers  and  wrists,  there  is  another  exercise 
that  may  be  taken  up — but  this  cannot  be 
done  satisfactorily  until  the  contestants, 
through  much  of  the  first  work,  have  put 
themselves  in  trim.  Now  the  opponents  stand 
back  to  back,  extend  the  hands  backward,  just 
below  the  waist-line,  and  clasp  fingers  in  inter- 


Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser         77 

lacing  fashion.  Each  tries  to  drag  the  other 
forward,  the  agreed-upon  assailant  winning  the 
victory  at  last.  Then,  after  a  few  deep  breaths 
the  victim  turns  assailant  and  drags  her  com- 
panion. It  will  be  found,  however,  that  this 
work  cannot  be  done  well  until  the  preliminary 
work  of  toughening  thumbs,  fingers,  and  wrists 
has  been  practised  most  patiently. 

Last  of  all,  there  is  a  feat  in  the  present 
stage  of  jiu-jitsu  work  that  is  most  difficult  in 
the  way  of  good  results.  The  two  contestants 
lie  on  the  floor,  face  downward,  each  raising 
herself  a  little  on  her  left  hand.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  depend  a  little  upon  the  knees,  but  this 
should  not  be  done  more  than  is  really  neces- 
sary. Now,  the  contestants  clasp  right  hands 
with  ringers  interlaced,  and  each  tries  to  drag 
the  other  along.  This  may  be  varied  by  twist- 
ing the  victim  to  right  or  to  left  with  the  hand 
engaged  in  the  clasp. 

Then  comes  the  change.  Each  contestant 
raises  herself  on  her  right  hand,  employing  the 
left  for  the  clasp,  and  too  much  cannot  be  said  in 
favour  of  giving  to  the  left  arm  all  the  work  that 
the  right  receives.  The  twist  from  side  to  side, 


78     Physical  Training  for  Women 

while  in  this  position,  will  be  found  difficult  at 
first,  but  it  can  be  mastered,  and  with  splendid 
results  in  the  strength  of  the  fingers  and  wrists. 

An  exercise  that  the  student  may  perform 
by  herself,  and  as  often  as  may  be,  is  this: 
Stand  with  the  right  arm  slightly  extended  in 
front.  The  thumb  should  be  up  and  the  fist 
clenched.  With  the  left  hand  encircle  the 
right  wrist.  Now,  attempt  to  force  the  right 
hand  over  to  the  right  side,  making  the  right 
hand  resist  the  pressure  all  the  time  by  a  press- 
ure to  the  left  side.  Then  treat  the  left  hand 
in  the  same  manner,  forcing  it  over  to  the  left 
while  employing,  all  the  while,  a  resistant 
pressure  to  the  right. 

As  a  change  of  work,  in  some  practice  bouts, 
the  two  students  are  required  to  stand  facing 
each  other.  They  extend  hands,  palms  down- 
ward and  just  below  the  waist-line,  and  inter- 
lace fingers  with  each  other.  Now,  the 
agreed-upon  assailant  raises  her  victim's  hands 
slowly  up  and  over  her  head,  bending  her 
backward  slightly.  Then  the  late  victim, 
turned  assailant  now,  forces  her  companion's 
hands  back  to  starting-point. 


Fresh  Air  the  Vitaliser         79 

She  who  has  mastered  fully  the  exercises 
given  in  this  chapter — she  who  has  devoted  to 
it  much  of  the  time  spent  in  the  practice  bouts 
during  two  weeks — will  be  able  to  pass  on  to 
the  work  for  the  back  that  will  be  described  in 
the  next  chapter.  But  the  wrist  work  cannot 
be  slighted  if  the  best  results  are  to  be  achieved. 
In  a  system  of  physical  training  where  so  much 
depends  upon  the  strength  of  the  hands  and 
wrists  the  work  just  described  must  be  taken 
up  with  a  firm  purpose  of  mastery. 

Just  one  last  caution  about  the  wrists:  Do 
not  take  each  of  the  exercises  prescribed  in 
every  practice  bout.  Vary  the  work  as  much 
as  is  possible.  When  tired  with  the  other 
work  stand  erect  with  hands  clasped  overhead. 
Twist  the  right  wrist  slowly  over  to  the  right, 
and  then  the  left  wrist  to  the  left,  always  re- 
sisting the  pressure.  This  work  is  done  in 
similar  fashion  when  the  two  contesting  stu- 
dents face  each  other  and  interlace  fingers  over 
each  other's  heads.  First  one  student  em- 
ploys her  right  hand  in  twisting  her  opponent's 
left  hand  over  to  the  victim's  left  side.  Then 
the  victim  should  twist  back  to  the  original 


8o     Physical  Training  for  Women 

position.  Then  the  other  hand  of  each  student 
is  employed  in  the  same  manner.  It  is  pos- 
sible to  employ  considerable  strain  in  this 
work,  and  the  danger-signals  of  panting  and 
palpitation  should  be  looked  out  for. 

With  the  amount  of  work  described  in  this 
chapter  the  student  should  be  contented  for  a 
while,  and,  in  the  meantime,  should  pay  more 
attention  to  the  very  simple  but  highly  essen- 
tial exercises  described  in  the  earlier  chapters. 
No  set  of  exercises  should  be  done  for  two 
days  in  succession.  A  sufficient  number  of 
exercises  have  been  suggested  now  so  that  no 
student  needs  to  duplicate  one  day's  work  with 
the  next.  There  should  be,  at  all  times,  as 
much  variety  as  is  possible.  Nor  is  it  safe  to 
pick  out  all  of  the  hard  work  for  any  one  prac- 
tice bout.  Take  the  heavy  work  with  the 
light — with  much  more  of  the  light  work  than 
of  the  heavy. 

Above  all,  do  not  forget  to  breathe  properly 
during  every  practice  bout  and  between  exercises. 
The  purer  and  colder  the  air  that  is  breathed 
the  better ! 


CHAPTER  VI 

EXERCISES  FOR  THE  BACK,    ESPECIALLY  FOR 
THE  SMALL  OF  THE  BACK 

THERE  is  no  portion  of  the  body,  unless  it 
be  the  wrist,  where  the  average  Anglo-Saxon 
woman  is  likely  to  be  as  weak  as  in  the  back. 
In  the  construction  of  a  perfect  physical  body 
this  proves  a  serious  defect.  Especially  is  this 
true  of  what  is  commonly  known  as  the  "small 
of  the  back."  It  is  vital  that  a  woman  should 
have  strength  in  every  portion  of  her  back.  It 
is  a  common  thing  to  hear  a  woman — and 
especially  one  who  wears  corsets — complain 
that  she  has  no  strength  in  her  back. 

The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  throw  away  the 
corsets — to  put  them  in  the  ash-barrel,  where 
they  belong.  It  is  a  common  fallacy  among 
Anglo-Saxon  women  that  the  corset  gives 
strength  to  the  back.  It  never  has  done,  nor 
will  it  ever  do  this.  All  that  can  be  said  of 

81 


82     Physical  Training  for  Women 

the  corset  is  that  it  mars  the  feminine  figure 
in  its  perfection,  and  that  it  causes  weakness — 
not  strength — in  the  back. 

While  the  author  has  never  taken  pupils  in 
jiu-jitsu  for  a  fee,  he  has  had  the  pleasure  of 
instructing  several  women  who  were  willing  to 
follow  his  directions.  Invariably  the  first  re- 
quirement has  been  that  the  pupil  discard  cor- 
sets for  all  time  to  come.  In  the  case  of  the 
author's  own  wife,  who  is  inclined  to  more 
flesh  than  she  desires,  especially  at  the  abdo- 
men, the  discovery  made  was  that,  at  the  end 
of  a  three-weeks'  relief  from  corsets,  the  ab- 
domen had  come  down  an  inch  and  a  quarter 
in  measurement. 

It  is  very  likely,  of  course,  that  the  exercises 
that  went  with  the  abstinence  from  corsets  had 
something  to  do  with  this  result.  Yet  it  will 
be  plain  to  any  woman  reader  who  thinks  that 
the  corset,  no  matter  how  "loose"  it  be,  con- 
stricts the  upper  portion  of  the  body,  and  that 
any  tendency  to  fleshiness  must  find  its  oppor- 
tunity along  the  lines  of  least  resistance.  This 
opportunity  is  found  at  the  abdomen,  and  so 
the  so-called  "straight-front  corset"  becomes 


Exercises  for  the  Back         83 

a  necessity.  In  the  small  of  the  back,  where 
there  is  no  tendency  to  accumulate  flesh,  and 
where  there  is  little  support  to  be  had  from 
the  corset,  the  muscles  become  weak,  flabby — 
oftentimes  almost  useless. 

A  short  study  of  the  bodies  of  the  models 
who  have  posed  for  the  illustrations  in  this 
book  will  make  the  reader  understand  just 
what  is  intended  to  be  conveyed.  The  shorter 
model  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  a  mother 
who  never  attempted  to  put  corsets  on  her 
child.  This  model  is  sought  eagerly  by  artists 
for  posings,  for  the  reason  that  a  life  without 
corsets,  and  the  frequent  employment  of  exer- 
cise, have  given  her  a  torso  that  makes  her  a 
necessity  to  artists  who  wish  to  paint  the  per- 
fect body. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  taller  model,  as  per- 
fectly developed  as  she  is,  betrays  in  the  trunk 
of  her  body  the  fact  that  she  wore  corsets  as  a 
girl.  Some  years  ago  she  gave  them  up,  and 
her  torso  is  returning  gradually  to  the  normal 
figure  of  the  perfectly  developed  woman.  She 
attests  the  fact  that  her  back  is  much  stronger 
now  than  it  was  at  any  time  in  her  young 


84     Physical  Training  for  Women 

girlhood.  In  these  days  she  could  not  be 
hired  to  wear  corsets  unless  she  became  utterly 
regardless  of  her  health  and  figure. 

To  many  an  American  and  English  woman 
the  foregoing  will  not  prove  to  be  agreeable 
reading,  but  the  truth  should  be  sought.  The 
women  of  ancient  Greece  knew  nothing  of 
corsets,  but  their  figures  gave  the  inspirations 
that  are  to  be  found  to-day  in  the  art  galleries 
of  all  the  civilised  world.  The  average  Japan- 
ese woman  of  to-day  shows  a  figure  as  per- 
fectly moulded,  and  as  true  in  proportions,  as 
the  women  of  ancient  Greece  were  able  to  dis- 
play. Yet  the  perusal  of  a  Japanese  paper 
would  not  show  a  single  advertisement  of  a 
corset.  The  very  few  women  of  the  Empire 
who  ape  our  customs  enough  to  wear  corsets 
are  compelled  to  order  these  things  through 
some  American  or  European  house  that  trades 
in  the  Far  East. 

Once  the  former  victim  of  corsets  has  dis- 
carded them — for  good  and  for  all — she  will 
find  the  benefit  that  comes  from  the  exercises 
that  are  described  in  this  chapter.  There  will 
be  little  or  no  benefit  so  long  as  corsets  are 


No.  20.      THE  REAR  CLUTCH   FOR  STRENGTHENING  THE  THROAT. 


Exercises  for  the  Back         85 

worn,  even  though  they  be  discarded  in  prac- 
tice bouts. 

Photograph  number  twenty  shows  the  prin- 
ciple of  an  exercise  that  may  be  followed  to 
great  advantage  if  it  be  taken  up  often  enough. 
Of  course,  it  must  be  understood,  as  in  pre- 
ceding exercises,  that  victim  and  assailant 
must  resist  each  other  sufficiently.  The  assail- 
ant stands  at  the  rear,  clasping  her  hands 
around  the  throat  of  her  victim,  the  clenched 
hands  being  just  under  the  chin.  At  first  the 
victim  is  allowed  to  bend  her  head  as  far  for- 
ward as  is  possible.  When  this  position  has 
been  taken  the  assailant  bends  her  victim's 
head  as  far  back  as  she  can,  the  victim  all  the 
while  resisting.  As  soon  as  the  victim  has 
gone  back  as  far  as  she  can  she  brings  her 
head  back,  by  degrees,  to  the  starting  posi- 
tion, the  assailant  being  the  one  who  now  re- 
sists in  the  return.  Then  assailant  and  victim 
change  places,  and  the  work  is  done  over 
again.  This  work  is  of  gradual  benefit,  but 
its  results  are  sure. 

Another  form  of  this  exercise  is  depicted  in 
photograph  number  twenty-one.  In  this  the 


86     Physical  Training  for  Women 

victim  stands  with  her  arms  extended  laterally. 
Behind  her  is  the  assailant,  who  clasps  hands 
with  her,  the  fingers  being  interlaced.  As  be- 
fore, the  victim  is  allowed  to  bend  forward 
as  far  as  she  can.  Then  the  assailant  places 
one  of  her  knees — generally,  but  not  always, 
her  left — in  the  small  of  her  victim's  back.  In 
this  position  the  assailant  draws  the  victim 
over  backward,  the  latter  resisting  all  the  while 
by  as  much  pressure  forward  as  can  be  used. 
As  soon  as  the  victim  has  gone  as  far  back  as 
she  can,  she  bends  forward  again,  the  assailant 
now  resisting.  But  the  assailant's  knee  is 
not  taken  away  in  the  return.  It  follows,  of 
course,  that,  after  some  deep  breathing,  assail- 
ant and  victim  change  places  and  repeat  the 
exercise. 

The  value  of  this  work  cannot  be  overstated. 
It  should  be  taken  up,  by  the  student  who  has 
reached  this  stage  through  faithful  exercise,  in 
at  least  every  second  practice  bout.  It  is  not 
necessary — not,  in  fact,  advisable — for  more  of 
this  work  to  be  undertaken  than  will  be  had 
when  each  has  bent  the  other  backward. 

Much  has  been    said    already   of   the  need 


No  21.  THE  SMALL  OF  THE  BACK  BEND. 


Exercises  for  the  Back         87 

for  thinking  students  to  devise  for  themselves 
variations  of  all  of  the  exercises  described. 
The  writer  will  offer  one  hint,  and  then  will 
leave  the  rest  of  this  branch  of  the  work  to  be 
thought  out  by  the  reader.  Take  the  clasp,  as 
shown  in  photograph  number  twenty,  and 
place  the  knee  in  the  small  of  the  back,  as 
is  depicted  in  photograph  number  twenty-one. 
Now,  let  the  assailant  pull  back,  while  the 
victim  resists.  Then  the  victim  must  pull  her- 
self back  to  starting  position,  and  all  the  while 
against  the  assailant's  resistance. 

The  next  exercise  that  is  taken  up  for  the 
back  is  one  so  simple  that  it  does  not  call  for 
pictorial  depiction.  The  two  contestants  stand 
facing  each  other.  The  victim  bends  her  head 
slightly  forward.  The  assailant,  standing  at 
the  right  of  her  victim,  throws  her  own  right 
arm  just  over  the  victim's  neck — not  the  back 
— and  places  her  right  shoulder  under  the  vic- 
tim's left  shoulder.  In  somewhat  similar  man- 
ner the  assailant  places  her  left  shoulder  under 
the  victim's  right  shoulder.  Now,  the  assail- 
ant clasps  her  hands,  as  near  as  may  be,  before 
the  victim's  waist.  The  victim  is  allowed  to 


88     Physical  Training  for  Women 

take  hold  of  her  assailant's  hands  or  wrists  in 
any  way  that  may  be  most  convenient. 

When  this  position  has  been  secured,  the 
assailant  should  use  her  right  arm  as  a  leverage 
over  the  victim's  neck  to  press  the  latter  down 
toward  the  floor.  All  the  while  the  victim 
should  resist  this  attack  by  a  pressure  upward. 
Of  course,  all  of  the  advantage  lies  with  the 
assailant,  but  the  latter  should  exert  just 
enough  pressure  to  compel  the  victim  to  bend 
gradually  forward.  The  assailant  goes  down 
slowly  until  her  right  knee  touches  the  floor. 

Now,  the  victim,  held  in  the  same  clinch,  is 
required  to  rise  to  nearly  an  erect  position,  the 
assailant  all  the  time  exerting  enough  down- 
ward pressure  to  make  the  victim's  rising  all 
but  impossible.  The  assailant  will  be  dragged 
by  degrees  from  her  position  on  her  right  knee 
to  an  erect  position,  and  then  she  lets  go  of 
her  victim. 

As  soon  as  this  has  been  done  both  students 
should  rest  and  take  deep  breaths.  Then  the 
work  may  be  taken  up  again,  with  the  rdles 
of  assailant  and  victim  reversed.  When  this 
work  is  taken  up,  at  first,  it  is  advised  that 


No.  22.      A  STRONG   RESISTANT   EXERCISE  FOR  THE  BACK. 


Exercises  for  the  Back         89 

one  trial  for  each  be  all  that  is  employed. 
The  work  will  not  strain  either  student 
severely,  and,  in  time,  it  will  be  possible  to 
devote  safely  the  greater  part  of  a  practice 
bout  to  this  one  feat.  A  very  little  study  of 
the  muscles  employed  will  show  wherein  the 
benefit  is  to  be  found.  The  exercise  is  valu- 
able, especially,  to  the  muscles  of  the  rump, 
to  which  no  attention  is  paid  in  the  American 
or  English  systems  of  physical  training.  And 
the  small  of  the  back  will  receive  its  full  share 
of  the  benefit,  as  will  the  neck. 

Photograph  number  twenty-two  shows  the 
victim  with  her  back  to  the  assailant.  The 
latter  clenches  her  companion's  hands,  held  as 
nearly  laterally  as  may  be.  It  makes  no  differ- 
ence whether  the  hands  be  held  on  a  level  with 
the  waist-line,  or  on  a  level  with  the  shoulders. 
Or  the  hands  may  be  held  at  any  point  be- 
tween these  two  portions  of  the  body.  The 
victim  is  allowed  to  bend  as  far  as  she  can. 
Now,  the  assailant  pulls  her  companion  back- 
ward, the  latter  resisting  and  yielding  but  very 
slowly.  Once  the  victim  has  gone  as  far  over 
backward  as  she  can  do  the  work,  she  returns, 


90     Physical  Training  for  Woren 

the  assailant  now  applying  the  restance. 
The  victim  must  return  to  her  origin;  posi- 
tion of  bending  forward.  With  thchands 
held  at  any  level  from  the  waist-lined o  the 
shoulders,  there  are  enough  variations:*  f  this 
work  to  be  had. 

And,  in  this  connection,  the  cautionshould 
be  repeated,  with  added  emphasis,  the  there 
is  no  benefit  to  be  had  from  ovtdoing. 
Moderation  is  the  Japanese  rule.  Palliation 
of  the  heart  or  shortness  of  breath  is  an  ifallible 
indication  that  the  work  is  being  dne  too 
severely.  Unless  both  students  are  abe  to  go 
through  this  exercise  without  distress  jt  is  an 
indication  that  the  work  has  been  huied  be- 
yond the  limits  of  the  preliminary  wor  of  the 
course,  and  that  results  are  being  atimpted 
more  rapidly  than  it  is  possible  to  hoe  they 
can  be  achieved. 

Moderation!  There  is  no  sense  in  kste,  and 
only  ultimate  harm  can  result  in  work  J*  which 
the  body  has  not  been  fitted  by  degrees.  No  one 
can  hope  to  become  strong  in  a  week! 

By  way  of  variation,  a  much  easier jxercise 
is  shown  in  photograph  number  twenr-three. 


I- 


Exercises  for  the  Back         91 

In  this  work  the  two  contestants  stand  facing 
each  other.  One  student  clasps  the  other's 
left  hand  with  her  own  left  hand.  Then  one 
pushes  the  other's  hand  over  backward  slowly, 
while  the  other  resists.  As  soon  as  the  one 
bending  backward  has  gone  over  as  far  as  she 
can,  her  companion  pulls  her  back  again  to  a 
position  of  bending  forward.  In  this  exercise 
both  students  should  be  careful  to  employ 
sufficient  resistance.  Otherwise  the  work  will 
be  of  little  value.  Unless  some  strain  is  felt 
in  the  small  of  the  back  of  each  contestant  in 
turn,  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  more  vim. 

It  should  go  without  saying  that  the  fore- 
going exercise  should  be  used  also  with  the 
right  hands  of  the  contestants  clasped,  but,  as 
the  tendency  is  to  develop  the  right  side  of  the 
body  at  the  expense  of  the  left,  this  work 
should  be  done  rather  more  with  the  left  hands 
than  with  the  right 

As  an  indication  of  what  the  student  may 
think  out  for  herself,  let  her  lie  flat  upon  her 
back.  Let  her  lie  with  her  hands  on  the  floor 
slightly  back  of  her  shoulder-blades.  Now, 
let  her  attempt  to  raise  her  body  from  the 


92     Physical  Training  for  Women 

floor,  resting  all  of  the  weight  on  her  hands 
and  heels.  She  will  not  be  able  to  lift  her 
body  far  from  the  floor,  but  the  ability  to 
raise  it  at  all,  with  only  the  heels  and  hands 
for  support,  should  be  a  gratifying  test  of 
strength. 

While  lying  on  the  floor,  flat  on  the  back, 
try  to  spring  to  an  erect  position  without 
using  the  hands  in  the  movement.  This  is  an 
exercise  not  unknown  to  American  and  Eng- 
lish instructors  in  physical  training.  While 
the  work,  if  done  successfully,  shows  very  ex- 
cellent development  of  all  the  muscles  of  the 
body,  it  proves,  also,  that  the  back  muscles 
need  training  only  at  intervals  after  this  feat 
can  be  accomplished.  Exercises  for  the  back 
need  be  undertaken  only  once  or  twice  a  week 
when  this  can  be  done — but  the  test  may  be 
employed  as  often  as  the  student  wishes  after 
the  muscles  have  been  hardened  sufficiently 
for  the  performance.  A  new  student  in  jiu- 
jitsu  will  find,  almost  always,  that  the  trick  is 
impossible  to  her. 

A  very  simple  form  of  work  for  the  back  is 
found  when  the  student  lies  on  the  floor  on  her 


Exercises  for  the  Back         93 

back,  with  her  elbows  slightly  apart  from  the 
body,  and  her  hands  up,  or  with  hands  rest- 
ing on  the  hips.  In  this  position  she  should 
wriggle  across  the  floor  from  one  end  of  the 
room  to  the  other,  moving  as  sinuously  as  she 
can,  and  never  allowing  either  hand  to  touch 
the  floor  in  order  to  aid  her  movements. 
While,  at  first,  this  exercise  will  be  difficult  of 
accomplishment,  it  becomes  easy  by  stages. 
In  time,  this  form  of  movement  becomes  as 
easy  as  walking,  and  then  the  student  knows 
that  she  is  developing  very  fair  strength  in  the 
back. 

There  is  another  form  of  back  work  that  is 
much  easier,  and  this  exercise  may  be  per- 
formed several  times  in  a  single  practice  bout 
without  fatigue.  The  student  throws  herself 
forward  upon  her  knees,  with  the  flats  of  her 
hands  resting  on  the  floor  in  front  of  her 
body.  Then,  with  the  aid  of  her  hands,  she 
rises  quickly  to  a  standing  position.  The 
movement  should  be  a  spring,  and  only  very 
little  study  is  needed  to  show  how  much  the 
muscles  of  the  small  of  the  back  are  benefited. 

This  should  suggest  another  form  of  work 


94     Physical  Training  for  Women 

for  the  back  that  may  be  attempted,  even  be- 
fore the  student  has  really  reached  the  stage 
of  development  that  is  called  for  in  most  of 
the  exercises  described  in  this  chapter.  She 
should  lie  on  the  floor,  on  her  right  side,  and 
raise  herself  on  her  right  hand  and  heel,  hold- 
ing the  rest  of  the  body  clear  of  the  floor. 
Her  left  hand  is  held  up,  as  she  turns  gradu- 
ally over,  and  it  is  lowered  to  the  floor  only 
when  she  finds  that  member  necessary  to  sup- 
port her  in  a  complete  turn  over  to  the  left 
side.  As  she  comes  down  at  the  left  side 
only  left  arm  and  heel  should  touch  the  floor 
until  the  student  has  held  herself  for  a  few 
seconds. 

At  the  outset  this  work  will  be  difficult  of 
achievement,  but  in  time  it  can  be  performed 
by  any  woman  who  pays  sufficient  attention  to 
the  resistant  principles  of  jiu-jitsu.  As  soon 
as  the  ability  to  turn  the  body  over  in  this 
fashion  has  been  acquired,  then  the  student 
should  manage  by  degrees  to  apply  a  resistant 
pressure  of  the  left  side  of  the  body  while 
turning  over  to  the  left.  In  like  manner,  when 
turning  the  body  from  the  left  to  the  right,  re- 


Exercises  for  the  Back         95 

sistant  pressure  of  the  right  side  toward  the 
left  should  be  employed. 

There  is  no  excuse  for  aching  backs,  except 
in  cases  of  severe  illness,  or  where  the  back 
has  been  abused.  Japanese  women  suffer  no 
more  in  their  backs  than  they  do  in  other  por- 
tions of  their  splendidly  built  bodies.  If  fol- 
lowed intelligently  and  patiently,  the  exercises 
described  in  this  chapter  will  make  American 
and  English  women  forget  that  they  have 
backs  that  can  ache. 

When  the  late  General  Lawton  was  informed 
by  an  American  surgeon  that  he  showed 
serious  indications  of  liver  trouble,  he  replied : 

"Really,  you  astound  me.  I  have  never  felt 
any  discomfort  there.  In  fact,  I  am  not  at  all 
sure  that  I  know  in  just  what  part  of  my  body 
my  liver  is  situated." 

The  Anglo-Saxon  woman  who  follows  faith- 
fully all  of  the  Japanese  rules  for  the  training 
of  the  back  will  become,  in  time,  equally  ignor- 
ant of  the  fact  that  she  has  a  back — at  least, 
one  that  can  ache ! 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   PERFECT   CHEST  —  THE   BEST  DEVELOP- 
MENT FOR  THE   HOLLOW   OF  THE   BACK, 
AND  FOR  GIVING   STRENGTH  AND  PROPER 
PROPORTIONS  TO  ARMS  AND   LEGS 

MANY  Anglo-Saxon  women  hesitate  to  take 
up  any  form  of  patient  and  serious  exercise 
through  the  dread  that  it  will  spoil  the  con- 
tour, and  supply  them,  instead,  with  bulging 
muscles  that  show  "knots"  and  "bumps." 
With  the  Japanese  work  the  reverse  is  the 
case.  The  figure  of  the  Japanese  woman  who 
has  taken  her  course  in  jiu-jitsu  is  a  thing  of 
beauty. 

A  woman  whom  the  author  has  had  the 
pleasure  of  instructing  in  the  work  was  told 
that  she  would  not  do  as  a  cloak  model  because 
she  had  an  unfortunate  hollow  in  her  back  be- 
tween the  shoulder-blades.  It  was  suggested 
that  this  might  be  overcome  through  the  em- 
96 


No.   24.      RESISTANT  SWAYING   FROM  SIDE  TO  SIDE. 
N6  movement  backward  or  forward. 


The  Perfect  Chest  97 

ployment  of  pads  at  that  point ;  still,  on  ac- 
count of  this  defect,  the  young  woman  was 
not  in  much  demand.  When  she  went  to 
work  at  the  exercises  described  in  this  volume, 
and  especially  in  this  chapter,  it  needed  but 
three  weeks  to  show  her  a  gratifying  filling  out 
of  the  hollow.  The  chest  improved  in  the 
same  ratio,  and  there  was  a  gradual  filling  out 
of  all  the  undeveloped  parts  of  the  body. 

There  can  be  no  loss  of  contour  through 
exercise  of  the  proper  kind.  Every  exercise 
that  is  taken  so  that  one  muscle  is  resisted  by 
another  will  benefit  the  body,  fill  out  the  flesh, 
and  make  for  the  perfection  of  contour. 

In  photograph  number  twenty-four  is  shown 
an  exercise  that  is  beneficial  just  in  proportion 
to  the  amount  of  intelligence  with  which  it  is 
used.  In  this  the  two  contestants  do  not  fall 
forward  more  than  is  necessary.  The  hands 
are  held  sideways,  and  as  nearly  as  may  be  on 
a  level  with  the  shoulder.  Then  a  clasp  is 
taken  by  the  opposing  hands,  with  an  inter- 
lacing of  the  fingers.  Now,  the  one  who  is  to 
act  as  the  assailant  must  try  to  walk  around 
the  victim,  either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left, 


98     Physical  Training  for  Women 

the  victim  all  the  while  resisting  in  the  opposite 
direction. 

The  assailant  walks,  but  the  victim  must  not. 
All  she  does  is  to  pivot  upon  her  heels.  The 
victim  must  apply  enough  resistance,  but  the 
assailant  must  gain  the  victory.  When  this 
has  been  done,  and  the  victim  has  been 
pivoted  completely  around,  then  she  must 
become  assailant  in  turn,  and  force  her  com- 
panion once  around.  Then  deep  breathing  is 
employed  before  the  contestants  make  a  trial 
at  the  other  side. 

In  fact,  all  through  this  exercise  deep  breath- 
ing should  be  much  in  evidence.  The  student 
who  has  reached  this  advanced  stage  should 
put  a  great  deal  of  resistance  into  the  work. 
There  should  be  no  half-way  use  of  strength. 
Even  when  the  victim  is  much  stronger  than 
the  assailant,  the  former  should  make  the  vic- 
tory possible  only  by  the  use  of  a  great  deal  of 
strength.  It  is  not  necessary  for  either  con- 
testant to  be  ashamed  to  pant — provided  this 
is  done,  not  as  a  sign  of  weakness,  but  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  deep  breaths  while  the 
exercise  is  in  progress. 


The  Perfect  Chest  99 

While  at  this  work,  a  useful  variation  may 
be  found  in  another  exercise  that  is  described 
very  simply.  Taking  the  same  position  as  be- 
fore, let  the  assailant  force  one  of  her  victim's 
arms  downward  and  the  other  upward.  On 
both  sides  there  should  be  much  resistance  on 
the  part  of  the  victim.  Then  the  victim  turns 
assailant,  and  forces  one  of  her  companion's 
arms  upward  and  the  other  downward,  the  lat- 
ter now  resisting. 

Then  there  is  still  another  form  of  the  work. 
First  of  all,  the  two  contestants  take  the  same 
position  as  has  been  described.  The  assailant, 
bending  backward  slightly  as  the  work  de- 
mands it,  brings  her  victim's  arms  forward,  the 
latter  resisting  as  much  as  is  necessary.  While 
the  arms  of  the  victim  will  have  to  come  for- 
ward somewhat,  they  should  be  kept  horizon- 
tal, and  as  nearly  sideways  and  as  much  on  a 
level  with  the  shoulders  as  is  possible.  When 
the  assailant  has  gone  as  far  over  backward  as 
is  possible,  then  the  recent  victim  should  drag 
her  back  as  far  in  the  opposite  direction. 

There  is  yet  another  form  of  the  work  that 
may  be  employed  once  in  a  while  with 


ioo   Physical  Training  for  Women 

advantage.  When  position  has  been  taken,  with 
the  arms  stretched  out  laterally,  and  the  hands 
clasped,  the  assailant  may  twist  her  victim's 
hands  inward,  the  victim  resisting.  When 
the  latter's  hands  have  been  twisted  inward  as 
far  as  may  be  done,  she  should  retaliate  upon 
her  assailant  by  returning  to  starting  position, 
or  a  little  past  it. 

It  is  well,  in  the  development  of  the  body, 
to  alternate  a  severe  exercise  with  an  easy  one 
that  does  not  require  much  strength.  Here  is 
one:  After  the  last  work,  take  a  few  deep 
breaths.  Then  stand  perfectly  erect  and  clasp 
hands  over  the  middle  of  the  top  of  the  head. 
The  elbows  will  be  about  on  a  line  with  the 
temples.  Move  them  slowly  forward,  with,  all 
the  while,  a  resistance  backward.  When  the 
elbows  have  gone  forward  until  they  touch, 
move  them  backward  as  far  as  they  will  go, 
and  always  with  resistant  pressure  in  the  other 
direction.  The  illustration  afforded  by  photo- 
graph number  twenty-five  will  give  the  es- 
sentials of  this  simple  feat.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  there  can  be  no  benefit  to  be 
had  from  the  work  unless  the  idea  of  resisting 


• 


No.  25. 


AN   EXERCISE  FOR   DEVELOPING  THE  CHEST  AND  THE  HOLLOW 
BETWEEN  THE  SHOULDER-BLADES. 


The  Perfect  Chest  101 

always  in  the  opposite  direction  is  kept  in 
mind. 

Next  in  order  comes  the  pole  work,  of  which 
too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise.  The  pole 
is  about  the  only  bit  of  apparatus  that  is  to  be 
found  in  a  jiu-jitsu  school.  It  is  of  bamboo, 
but  a  curtain-pole  or  a  broom-stick  will  do 
every  bit  as  well.  In  the  first  exercise,  as 
shown  in  photograph  number  twenty-six,  the 
two  students  stand  facing  each  other,  each 
having  both  hands  on  the  pole.  The  pole 
should  be  of  a  length  of  about  five  feet.  It  is 
raised  over  the  heads  of  the  two  contestants. 
The  positions  of  the  hands  should  be  studied 
with  care.  The  assailant  has  her  right  hand 
outside  of  the  victim's  left  hand,  her  left  hand 
inside  of  the  victim's  right.  Each  seizes  the 
pole  with  an  over-hold. 

Now,  with  the  pole  held  as  far  as  may  be 
over  the  heads  of  the  two  contestants,  the 
assailant  endeavours  to  press  the  pole  over 
sideways,  each  student  bending  to  that  side  as 
much  as  is  needed,  but  the  victim  resisting. 
As  soon  as,  in  this  fashion,  the  victim  has 
been  twisted  over  as  far  as  she  can  go,  and  the 


102    Physical  Training  for  Women 

pole  is  nearly  horizontal  with  the  floor,  the 
victim  should  twist  the  pole  up  again  to  start- 
ing position  and  over  to  the  other  side. 
Whichever  student  is  resisting  should  do  so 
with  all  the  strength  that  can  be  employed 
without  preventing  the  other's  victory.  It  is 
necessary  always  to  remember  that,  in  bring- 
ing the  pole  up  again,  it  should  be  carried,  at 
its  greatest  height,  as  far  as  is  possible  over 
the  students'  heads.  Then  it  may  be  forced 
down  on  the  other  side. 

There  are  so  many  variations  of  this  exercise 
that  it  is  necessary  to  explain  only  a  few.  The 
first  of  these  hints  is  that  the  students  stand 
at  each  other's  left  sides  facing  in  opposite 
directions.  The  victim  takes  hold  of  the  pole 
with  her  right  hand  at  one  end,  and  with  the 
back  of  that  hand  upward.  The  assailant 
grasps  the  other  end  of  the  pole  with  the  back 
of  her  left  hand  downward  and  the  back  of  her 
right  hand  upward. 

This  position  should  be  studied  with  care. 
Neither  one  should  take  hold  near  the  middle 
of  the  pole.  The  victim's  right  hand  is  ex- 
pected to  be  at  a  distance  of  from  six  to  eight 


No.  26.      THE  RESISTANT  POLE  WORK. 
One  of  the  best  possible  exercises  for  the  entire  body. 


The  Perfect  Chest  103 

inches  from  her  end  of  the  pole.  The  assail- 
ant's left  hand  should  be  at  about  the  same 
distance  from  her  own  end  of  the  pole,  and 
her  right  hand  a  little  more  than  a  foot  farther 
toward  the  middle.  When  it  is  certain  that 
this  position  has  been  secured  the  assailant  be- 
gins to  force  the  victim's  hand  up  over  her 
head.  The  victim's  hand  must  be  forced  up 
and  over  backward,  the  victim  being  made 
to  bend  her  torso  backward.  Then  a  twist 
is  given  that  swings  the  victim  completely 
around,  and  the  pole  is  taken  away  from  her. 
Now  the  same  work  is  taken  up  at  the  victim's 
left  side.  The  assailant  must  stand  at  the 
right  side,  and  now  she  clutches  the  pole  with 
the  left  hand  back  downward  and  the  right 
hand  upward.  All  of  the  value  that  is  to  be 
found  in  this  work  comes  from  the  resistance 
that  the  victim  offers — always  provided,  of 
course,  that  the  victim  does  not  offer  resist- 
ance enough  to  defeat  the  assailant. 

This  pole  work  may  be  changed,  and  with 
advantage,  if  the  two  students  stand  grasping 
the  pole  with  the  hands  placed  as  is  shown  in 
photograph  number  twenty-six,  but  with  the 


104    Physical  Training  for  Women 

pole  held  just  below  the  waist-line.  Now,  the 
assailant  twists  slowly  around  to  the  right, 
walking  as  much  as  is  necessary.  The  victim 
resists,  using  her  heels  as  pivots  only.  Next, 
the  assailant  twists  her  companion  to  the  left. 
Then,  as  a  matter  of  course,  assailant  and 
victim  change  places. 

It  is  both  amusing  and  profitable  to  try  the 
"tug-of-war"  with  the  pole.  Each  contestant 
seizes  the  pole  with  one  hand  near  the  end  and 
the  other  hand  much  nearer  the  middle.  At 
the  start  the  feet  are  wide  apart,  but,  as  the 
struggle  goes  on,  the  feet  are  brought  more 
closely  together.  The  victim,  if  indoors, 
stands  close  to  the  wall,  and  the  assailant  drags 
her  over  to  the  other  end  of  the  room.  Both 
students  should  be  as  stubborn  in  the  struggle 
as  it  is  possible  to  be.  As  soon  as  enough 
breath  has  been  taken,  assailant  and  victim 
should  change  places  and  the  "tug"  should 
be  tried  again.  Four  of  these  "tugs"  are 
considered  enough  for  an  advanced  student; 
at  first,  two  will  do. 

One  advantage  of  the  pole  work  is  that  much 
of  it  may  be  performed  by  one  woman  when 


The  Perfect  Chest  105 

there  is  not  another  present  with  whom  to 
practise.  It  is  possible  for  the  student  to  raise 
the  pole  over  her  head  and  to  bend  to  either 
side;  but  she  should  remember  always  to  use 
resistant  pressure  toward  the  other  side.  In 
the  same  way,  she  can  hold  the  pole  just  below 
her  waist-line,  turning  as  far  as  she  can  from 
side  to  side  —  provided  she  remembers  the 
principle  of  resisting  in  the  opposite  direction. 

Photograph  number  twenty-seven  gives  the 
key-note  to  a  style  of  exercise  that  may  be 
used  in  a  great  many  ways.  Three  will  be  de- 
scribed, and  it  will  be  left  to  the  student  to 
devise  others. 

First,  let  the  contestants  stand  facing  each 
other.  The  assailant  takes  the  victim's  right 
hand  in  her  own  and  nearly  at  arm's  length. 
The  backs  of  the  hands  are  upward,  somewhat 
on  a  level  with  the  shoulder,  and  the  fingers 
are  interlaced.  Now,  the  assailant  twists  her 
companion's  hand  up  and  over  backward,  forc- 
ing the  latter  to  bend  over.  A  complete  twist 
of  the  victim's  hand  may  be  made  before  the 
clasp  is  broken.  Then  left  hands  may  be 
clasped  and  used  in  the  same  manner.  Once 


io6   Physical  Training  for  Women 

in  a  while  it  is  well  for  the  assailant  to  clasp 
the  victim's  left  hand  with  her  own  right,  and 
then  to  reverse  the  assault. 

Second,  let  the  contestants  stand  at  arm's 
length,  with  fingers  clasped  and  palms  down- 
ward. While  holding  the  engaged  hands 
nearly  on  a  level  with  the  chest,  one  student 
is  expected  to  turn  the  other's  hand  upward, 
over,  and  out  until  the  victim  is  compelled  to 
bend  over  almost  to  the  floor.  Both  hands  of 
each  student  must  be  exercised  in  this  work. 
The  arms  should  be  kept  as  straight  as  is 
possible. 

Third,  let  the  students  stand  facing  each 
other  with  right  hands  clasped  in  the  same 
way.  The  assailant  uses  her  right  hand  to 
swing  her  opponent's  right  hand  up,  over,  and 
around  the  former's  head.  The  victim's  hand 
is  carried  over  the  assailant's  head  to  the  lat- 
ter's  left,  and  victory  has  not  been  achieved 
until  the  victim  has  been  swung  completely 
around.  Then  the  change  should  be  made 
with  left  hands  opposed,  and,  after  that,  with 
the  right  hand  of  one  contestant  opposed  to 
the  left  hand  of  the  other.  But  when  a  left 


The  Perfect  Chest  107 

hand  is  opposed  to  a  right  hand  the  swing 
should  be  made  in  exactly  the  opposite  man- 
ner to  that  already  described. 

All  three  of  these  exercises  are  to  be  done  in 
a  way,  and  with  a  vim,  that  will  make  not  only 
for  the  development  of  the  wrists  and  arms, 
but  for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  torso  as  well. 
The  student  should  study  the  strain  of  all  the 
muscles  that  can  be  brought  into  play,  and 
should  note  that  each  is  being  strengthened. 
As  an  instance,  the  small  of  the  back  should 
be  improved  in  strength ;  the  forearm  and  the 
upper  arm  should  show  a  tugging  at  the  mus- 
cles; if  there  is  weakness  in  the  abdominal 
muscles,  these  should  be  made  to  feel  the 
strain;  if  the  chest  is  flat,  the  muscles  there 
should  be  brought  into  play  by  one  of  the 
three  foregoing  exercises ;  and,  if  the  student 
cannot  accomplish  this,  she  should  study  out 
a  parallel  form  of  exercise  that  will  make  the 
muscles  of  the  chest  feel  some  strain.  The 
thighs,  the  upper  legs,  and  the  calves  are  to  be 
made  stronger  in  the  work  that  has  just  been 
described,  and  the  intelligent  student  will  find 
out  how  to  do  it. 


io8   Physical  Training  for  Women 

When  the  muscles  at  any  one  part  of  the 
body  are  found  to  be  strong  enough,  pay  no 
more  attention  to  them  for  the  present,  but 
trust  to  the  general  system  of  work  to  bring 
about  the  desired  improvement  in  them.  First 
of  all  it  is  necessary  to  get  after  the  weaker 
muscles  or  portions  of  the  body.  Then  the 
stronger  ones  can  be  treated  in  their  turn. 

While  strengthening  the  back,  there  is  work 
that  can  be  taken  up  with  advantage  in  this 
region,  and  also  with  benefit  to  the  legs.  The 
victim  lies  on  the  floor,  face  downward.  She 
raises  herself  on  one  foot,  at  the  toes,  and 
upon  both  hands,  lifting  her  body  wholly  from 
the  floor.  The  disengaged  foot  is  raised  clear 
of  the  floor,  and  is  held  as  nearly  parallel  with 
the  floor  as  is  possible.  The  assailant  takes 
hold  of  the  raised  foot  at  the  ankle  and  twists 
the  leg  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other 
—always  employing  the  twist  to  the  utmost 
extent  that  the  victim  can  endure.  Then  the 
other  leg  is  treated  in  like  fashion. 

There  is  to  this,  as  in  every  other  exercise  in 
jiu-jitsu,  a  variation.  The  victim  lies  on  her 
back,  raising  herself  on  both  hands  and  on  one 


The  Perfect  Chest  109 

heel,  with  the  other  leg  held  up.  The  assail- 
ant takes  the  same  kind  of  a  hold  as  before, 
and  twists  the  leg  over  to  the  outside,  and  then 
back  again,  the  victim  resisting,  always,  the 
pressure  in  either  direction. 

In  photograph  number  twenty-eight  the 
method  of  this  style  of  attack  is  shown  very 
clearly.  There  will  be  no  difficulty  in  any 
student's  devising  other  methods  of  this  work; 
but,  first  of  all,  the  essential  principle  must 
be  studied  carefully.  The  pressure  in  twisting 
the  leg,  and  the  counter-pressure  used  in  re- 
sisting, should  be  severe. 

And  now,  in  closing  this  chapter,  I  will  offer 
just  one  hint  for  a  variation  of  the  work  that 
might  not  occur  to  the  average  student.  Let 
each  stand  facing  the  other,  with  arms  ex- 
tended laterally.  The  hands  should  be  clasped, 
and  on  a  line  with  the  shoulder.  Each  student 
should  stand  on  her  left  foot,  the  inside  of  the 
ankle  bone  of  her  right  foot  placed  against  that 
of  the  other,  and  both  right  feet  raised  slightly 
from  the  floor.  In  this  position  the  assailant 
hops  around  her  victim,  turning  the  latter  to 
the  left.  The  victim  pivots  on  her  left  heel, 


io  Physical  Training  for  Women 


resisting  as  much  as  she  is  able.    One  complete 
turn  is  enough. 

At  the  outset  this  work  will  be  found  to  be 
difficult,  but  it  can  be  mastered ;  and  when  it 
is  felt  that  the  muscles  of  the  leg  and  of  the 
back  are  being  brought  into  play,  the  student 
will  know  that  the  exercise  is  being  carried  on 
in  the  right  manner. 


No.  29.     RESISTANT  WORK   FOR  BOTH  SHOULDERS  AND  ARMS. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

STRENGTH  IN  THE  NECK,  UPPER  AND  LOWER 
ARMS,  AND  WRISTS,  THE  THIGHS,  UPPER 
AND  LOWER  LEGS,  AND  ANKLES 

WHILE  nearly  all  of  the  exercises  described 
so  far  are  intended  for  the  general  benefit  of 
all  portions  of  the  body,  those  that  are  to  be 
given  now  are  intended  more  for  service  to  the 
especial  portions  of  the  body  that  are  named 
in  the  title  of  this  chapter.  It  is  for  the  student 
to  discover,  with  the  aid  of  such  hints  as  will 
be  given,  the  muscles  that  are  brought  into  re- 
sistant play  and  which  are  thereby  strength- 
ened. 

In  photograph  number  twenty-nine  a  pupil 
is  shown  standing  with  her  hands  on  her  hips, 
elbows  outward,  in  the  well-known  position  of 
"arms  akimbo."  Keeping  her  hands  on  her 
hips,  she  moves  her  shoulders  forward  and 
in 


1 1 2    Physical  Training  for  Women 

backward.  The  elbows  are  not  moved  more 
than  is  needed  for  the  free  movement.  In 
doing  this  work  it  is  much  better  to  move  the 
shoulders  up  and  over  until  the  shoulders  have 
gone  back  as  far  as  they  will.  Then  the 
shoulders  should  be  moved  forward  again  by 
an  exactly  reverse  motion.  With  these  move- 
ments only  the  slightest  bending  backward  and 
forward  should  be  employed.  The  aim  should 
be  to  remain  as  nearly  erect  as  is  consistent 
with  the  proper  performance  of  the  feat. 

It  should  not  be  necessary  to  tell  the  ad- 
vanced student  just  what  muscles  are  benefited 
in  this  way.  The  student  who  has  gone  thus 
far  in  the  course  should  be  able  to  decide  such 
points  for  herself.  But  a  hint  may  be  given. 
The  muscles  at  the  side  of  the  neck,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  back  of  the  neck,  are  brought  into 
play,  and  the  muscles  on  the  shoulder-blades 
receive  full  exercise.  The  pupil  can  discover 
for  herself  what  other  muscles  are  used.  But 
this  exercise  will  fail  in  its  very  excellent 
purpose  unless  the  backward  bending  of  the 
shoulders  is  resisted  by  considerable  muscular 
pressure  forward.  In  the  same  manner  the  re- 


Strength  113 

turn  movement  forward  should  be  resisted  by 
pressure  backward. 

Next  the  student  may  lie  face  downward  on 
the  floor.  Rise  on  the  hands  and  the  toes, 
with  no  other  portions  of  the  body  touching 
the  floor.  Twist  the  shoulders  backward  and 
forward  in  the  same  manner  —  always  resis- 
tantly.  This  is  not  an  easy  feat  for  the 
beginner,  but  it  should  be  quite  possible  of 
accomplishment,  with  the  needed  patience,  to 
the  student  who  has  progressed  so  far.  A  still 
more  difficult  manner  of  performing  this  feat 
is  found  when  the  student  lies  on  her  back, 
then  raises  herself  on  her  heels  and  hands,  the 
latter,  with  palms  down,  on  the  floor  behind 
her.  At  first  it  will  be  found  difficult  to  avoid 
falling. 

Clasping  each  other  on  the  backs  of  opposing 
shoulder-blades,  let  the  students  cross  necks, 
left  side  opposed  to  left  side.  It  is  not  suffi- 
cient to  press  the  sides  of  the  faces  together. 
That  is  the  wrong  attitude.  The  left  ears  of 
the  contestants  must  not  touch,  but  each  must 
have  her  ear  well  forward  over  the  back  of  the 
other's  shoulder.  The  necks  must  cross  in  the 


ii4   Physical  Training  for  Women 

form  of  the  letter  "x."  Each  of  the  combat- 
ants must  lean  slightly  forward. 

Now,  for  starting  position,  the  one  who  has 
been  chosen  as  victim  bends  easily  over  as  far 
as  she  can  go  to  her  left  side.  Then  the  assail- 
ant slowly  forces  her  victim's  head  over  to  the 
latter's  right  side,  the  victim  giving  proper 
resistance.  When  the  position  has  been 
reached  the  victim  forces  her  assailant's  head 
back  to  starting-point.  When  this  work  is 
practised  with  proper  vim  and  with  all  reason- 
able straining  of  the  muscles,  it  will  be  found 
that  not  many  repetitions  are  advisable  in  any 
one  bout.  But,  after  a  few  days,  the  work  will 
be  found  to  be  of  immense  benefit  to  the  neck. 

There  is  a  simple  bit  of  work  that  is  tried  in 
occasional  bouts  as  a  substitute.  The  direc- 
tion is  so  simple  that  no  illustration  is  needed. 
The  contestants  stand  facing  each  other.  The 
assailant  throws  her  right  arm  around  the  vic- 
tim 's  waist  as  far  as  she  can.  With  this  hold 
she  presses  the  edge  of  her  left  forearm  against 
the  victim's  throat.  Then  slowly,  but  surely, 
the  assailant  presses  her  companion's  head  over 
backward  as  far  as  may  be  done  without  caus- 


Strength  115 

ing  a  fall.  Of  course  the  victim  uses  her  back 
and  neck  to  resist  all  the  while.  As  soon  as 
the  head  has  gone  back  as  far  as  may  be  done 
the  victim  forces  herself,  against  the  assailant's 
continued  pressure,  back  to  an  erect  position. 
Then  the  attack  is  tried  from  the  opposite  side 
— that  is  to  say,  with  the  assailant's  left  hand 
around  the  victim's  waist  and  the  edge  of  the 
right  forearm  employed  in  the  pressure  against 
the  throat. 

An  exercise  that  is  of  especial  value  to  the 
whole  arm,  including  the  wrist,  is  when  the 
two  contestants  face  each  other,  clasping  right 
hands  or  left  hands, — but  each  should  use  the 
hand  of  the  same  side  of  her  body, — two  right 
hands  or  two  left  hands  clasped.  Now  the 
assailant  steps  a  little  to  the  side  of  her  victim, 
brings  the  latter's  hand  up  over  the  victim's 
head,  and  twists  her  over  as  far  to  the  floor  as 
is  possible,  the  victim  bending  over  sideways  in 
the  defeat.  As  the  victim  comes  back  to  erect 
position  the  assailant  resists  the  return.  Then 
the  work  is  tried  with  the  right  hand  and  left 
hand  of  the  respective  combatants  opposed. 
The  forcing  over  of  the  victim  should  be 


n6   Physical  Training  for  Women 

carried  to  the  farthest  point  that  is  consistent 
with  the  victim's  comfort.  After  a  little  prac- 
tice it  will  be  found  possible  almost  to  lay  her 
on  the  floor  on  the  side  of  her  face,  but  the 
feat  should  not  be  carried  thus  far  until  both 
pupils  are  sure  of  their  strength.  A  very  good 
idea  of  the  work  in  this  exercise  is  given  by  the 
pose  in  photograph  number  thirty. 

Another  form  of  arm  training  that  will  be 
found  excellent  in  its  turn,  as  a  substitute,  is 
when  the  two  contestants  face  each  other,  both 
bending  forward.  The  hands  are  clasped, 
backs  downward  and  the  fingers  interlaced. 
Now,  each  throws  herself  as  far  backward  as 
she  can,  and  the  assailant  drags  her  victim 
across  the  floor,  the  latter  resisting.  Then  the 
same  work  is  attempted  with  left  hands  clasped 
in  the  same  fashion.  When  the  work  is  done 
with  either  the  right  or  the  left  hand  the  vic- 
tim, when  she  has  been  defeated,  should  drag 
her  assailant  back  to  starting-point. 

Then  the  hands  may  be  clasped  in  similar 
fashion,  but  with  the  palms  downward.  The 
same  dragging  follows,  and,  at  the  completion 
of  victory,  the  assailant  wrenches  her  victim's 


No.  30.       WORK  FOR  THE  UPPER  ARM  AND  FOREARM. 


Strength  117 

arm  up  and  over  her  head,  the  victim  being 
prepared,  at  the  utterance  ofa  signal-word,  to 
resist  the  upward  strain. 

There  are  so  many  variations  of  this  work 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  suggest  them  all,  and 
the  student  can  figure  them  out  for  herself  if 
she  is  making  an  intelligent  analysis  of  the 
muscles  that  are  brought  into  use.  For  in- 
stance, let  the  contestants  stand  facing  each 
other,  but  each  a  little  to  the  left  of  the  other. 
The  aggressor,  with  her  right  hand,  seizes  the 
other's  right  hand.  The  clasp  with  fingers 
interlaced  is  the  best  one,  although  others  may 
be  used.  Now  the  assailant  raises  her  victim's 
hand  slowly  up  over  the  latter's  head,  then 
down  and  over  backward,  and  swings  the  vic- 
tim around  to  the  latter's  left  and  then,  con- 
tinuing, to  the  original  position.  Next,  the 
left  hands  are  employed  in  the  reverse  direction 
as  to  the  swing.  When  the  victim's  hand  is 
back  of  her  head  the  forearm  should  be  in  a 
position  almost  horizontal.  Then,  as  the  twist 
is  made  that  forces  the  victim  to  turn  around 
and  to  come  back  to  starting-point,  the  fore- 
arm is  lowered  considerably. 


n8   Physical  Training  for  Women 

It  will  be  understood  that  the  exercise  just 
given  is  very  similar  to  the  one  in  which  the 
victim,  with  one  hand  on  the  pole,  has  that 
hand  carried  up,  over,  and  back,  of  her  head, 
and  then  is  made  to  swing  around  to  starting 
position.  But  this  exercise  without  the  pole 
is  excellent;  and,  in  some  respects,  it  is  su- 
perior to  the  pole  work.  The  advanced 
student  will  be  expected  to  watch  the  play 
of  her  muscles  and  to  discover  the  difference 
between  the  two  exercises. 

Photograph  number  thirty-one  shows  a  form 
of  training  that  is  intended  principally  for  the 
exercising  of  the  ankles  and  the  calves,  but 
this  work  carries  with  it  benefit  to  all  the 
muscles  of  the  leg.  The  victim  is  required 
to  lie  on  her  back.  She  raises  the  right  foot 
some  inches  from  the  floor,  and  the  assailant 
seizes  it  at  the  ankle — always  at  the  ankle,  and 
never  higher  up.  Now,  the  assailant  twists 
the  captured  leg  from  side  to  side,  and  as 
vigorously  as  she  can.  At  the  same  time  the 
victim  tries  to  twist  her  captured  leg  as  far  as 
is  possible  in  the  other  direction.  With  this 
movement  there  should  be  a  slight  twisting  of 


Strength  119 

the  lower  portion  of  the  trunk,  and  of  course 
the  victim  should  resist  with  her  trunk  as  well 
as  with  her  leg. 

Then  the  left  leg  is  twisted  in  the  same  man- 
ner, after  which  aggressor  and  victim  change 
places.  The  work,  however,  will  prove  to  be 
of  little  or  no  value  unless  both  students  use 
all  the  pressure  that  is  possible.  It  is  worth- 
less if  the  victim  allows  her  leg  to  be  twisted 
from  side  to  side  without  any  effort  in  the 
opposite  direction.  If  the  resistance  be  suffi- 
cient the  assailant  will  have  as  hard  work  as 
she  gives  to  her  companion.  This  is  an  exer- 
cise that  should  be  employed  frequently  by  the 
advanced  student. 

The  pupil  who  has  been  urged  sufficiently 
to  analyse  movements  for  herself,  and  to  make 
practical  evolutions  of  them,  should  not  need 
much  time  to  discover  that  a  variation  of  the 
foregoing  work  may  be  had  when  the  victim 
lies  face  downward,  raises  one  foot,  and  gives 
the  assailant  a  chance  to  twist  it  in  the  same 
way.  Still  another  form  of  the  work  is  to  be 
enjoyed  when  the  student  lies  on  either  side 
and  allows  the  uppermost  leg  to  be  twisted 


120   Physical  Training  for  Women 

upward.  In  all  three  of  the  positions  it  is 
well  worth  while  if,  occasionally,  the  aggressor 
raises  the  captured  leg  as  high  as  it  can  be 
made  to  go.  And  this  is  true  even  if,  in  time, 
the  aggressor  is  able  to  raise  the  leg  so  high 
that  the  victim  is  all  but  compelled  to  stand 
on  her  head.  But  this  achievement  must  come 
with  gradual  practice,  and,  at  every  stage  of 
the  work,  the  victim  must  resist  with  all  the 
force  that  she  can  employ.  When  raising  the 
victim's  leg  high  in  the  air  the  assailant  will 
find  it  useful  to  hold  one  hand  just  under  the 
ankle,  and  the  other  hand,  palm  downward, 
just  beyond  the  first  hand.  In  this  way  better 
leverage  is  secured  for  the  raising  of  the  vic- 
tim's body. 

In  jiu-jitsu  work  the  very  acme  of  muscular 
development  has  been  reached  when  the  stu- 
dents can  perform  the  work,  in  all  its  entirety, 
that  is  depicted  in  photograph  number  thirty- 
two.  The  exercise  and  its  variations  are  not 
learned  easily.  A  great  deal  of  time  and  study 
must  be  given  to  them.  There  must  be 
thorough  analysis  of  the  use  of  the  muscles, 
nor  should  any  of  the  feats  in  this  category  be 


No.  32       THE  ACME  OF  A  VALUABLE  "  JIU-JITSU  »  TRAINING  TRICK. 


' 


Strength 


121 


attempted  until  both  students  are  satisfied  that 
the  muscles  have  been  hardened  properly  by 
means  of  the  preliminary  work. 

The  victim  stands  back  of  the  assailant. 
The  latter  raises  her  right  hand  backward 
over  her  head,  clasping  the  victim's  right  hand 
with  fingers  interlaced.  Now  the  assailant 
bends  forward,  carrying  her  victim  as  far  over 
as  she  can,  the  victim  all  the  while  resisting. 
Then  the  victim  goes  over  backward,  carrying 
her  assailant  as  far  as  is  possible.  Next  the 
left  hands  are  employed.  After  that  one  con- 
testant uses  her  right  hand  against  the  other's 
left.  Where  there  is,  as  is  usual  among  Cauca- 
sian women,  inferiority  of  the  left  arm,  that 
limb  should  be  given  rather  the  more  exercise. 

This  exercise  may  be  repeated  or  substituted 
when  the  two  students  stand  back  to  back, 
with  right  hands  or  left  hands  clasped.  Of 
course,  in  this  position  the  palms  will  be 
downward.  Then  both  hands  of  each  con- 
testant may  be  clasped.  The  work  should  be 
done,  by  advanced  students  of  nearly  equal 
capacity,  with  all  possible  resistance. 

It  will  occur  to  the  thinking  reader  that  the 


122    Physical  Training  for  Women 

same  work  may  be  employed  in  a  struggle  over 
the  length  of  the  room.  This  may  be  done 
with  one  or  both  hands  clasped,  and  whether 
the  victim  is  facing  her  assailant,  or  whether 
the  pair  are  back  to  back.  The  various  forms 
are  to  be  taken  up  in  turn  in  succeeding  bouts, 
the  same  form  never  to  be  employed  out  of  its 
turn.  Whenever  the  victim  is  dragged  across 
the  floor,  in  any  form  of  this  work,  she  is  ex- 
pected to  take  her  assailant  back  to  starting 
place — only  provided  that  easy  breathing  per- 
mits! 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  with  two  con- 
testants of  nearly  equal  strength  the  advantage 
is  all  with  the  victim.  She  must  allow  her  as- 
sailant to  drag  her  forward,  although  not  with 
too  little  resistance.  In  like  manner,  the  assail- 
ant should  exert  all  the  strength  that  she  can 
use  without  strain.  With  advanced  students 
the  work  is  to  be  done  in  such  manner  that  the 
aggressor  is  obliged  to  use  the  fullest  amount 
of  her  muscular  strength. 

Too  much  attention  cannot  be  paid  to  the 
development  of  the  strength  of  the  ankles. 
Usually  this  is  one  of  the  weak  points  of  the 


Strength  123 

American  or  the  English  woman.  She  is 
likely  to  complain  that  it  hurts  her  to  be  too 
much  on  her  feet.  Some  exercises  for  the 
ankle  have  been  described  already,  but  here  is 
one  that  is  very  simple,  and  it  should  be  tried 
in  at  least  every  alternate  practice  bout.  Stand 
in  an  erect  position,  with  the  heels  touching 
and  with  the  front  of  the  feet  at  an  angle 
of  about  forty-five  degrees.  Now,  while  still 
keeping  the  heels  in  touch,  move  the  feet  out- 
ward and  then  inward,  repeating  this  several 
times.  The  number  of  times  that  this  is  re- 
peated should  increase  with  each  practice  bout. 
When  this  feat  has  been  mastered  thoroughly 
there  is  an  interesting  variation  that  may  be 
used.  Employ  the  same  movement,  but  man- 
age to  move  backward  and  then  forward.  Now 
it  will  be  found  impossible  to  keep  the  heels  to- 
gether. It  is  a  sort  of  wriggling  with  the  feet, 
and,  in  order  to  secure  purchase  enough  to 
move  either  forward  or  backward,  it  will  be 
found  necessary  to  keep  one  heel  in  touch  with 
the  ankle  bone  of  the  other  foot.  After  a  few 
attempts  at  this  exercise,  however,  it  will  be 
found  possible  to  move  in  either  direction  with 


124   Physical  Training  for  Women 

not  a  little  celerity — and  the  ankles  will  be  the 
gainers. 

Or,  place  the  arms  "akimbo."  Stand  on 
one  foot,  with  the  other  held  off  the  floor, 
backward.  Do  not  move  the  foot  on  which 
you  are  standing,  but  twist  the  body,  resis- 
tantly,  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  do  this 
as  long  as  it  is  possible  to  keep  the  balance  on 
the  foot  on  which  you  are  standing.  Then, 
after  deep  breathing,  attempt  the  same  move- 
ment while  standing  only  on  the  other  foot.  It 
is  well  to  stand  as  erectly  as  may  be  done. 

But,  of  course,  the  best  exercise  of  all  for 
ankles  is  given  by  constant  walking.  A  phleg- 
matic woman  is  almost  certain  to  have  weak 
ankles,  especially  if  she  be  stout,  and  little 
given  to  exercise.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
woman  of  nervous  temperament,  who  walks 
briskly,  and  who  turns  quickly  when  moving 
around,  is  certain  to  have  strong  ankles  if  she 
exercises  them  enough.  Strength  of  the  ankle 
comes  most  quickly  from  any  form  of  exertion 
that  calls  for  quick  turning  upon  the  heels. 

It  is  an  easy  matter  for  any  woman  to  dis- 
cover when  her  ankles  are  sufficiently  strong. 


Strength  125 

Let  her  twist  either  foot  outward  as  far  as  it 
will  go.  She  should  hold  her  foot  as  rigidly  as 
is  possible,  and  then  should  feel  the  muscles  of 
the  ankle.  While  in  the  same  position  she 
may  feel  the  muscles  in  the  calf  of  her  leg. 
Then,  standing  up,  she  may  make  the  muscles 
of  the  upper  leg  tense  and  feel  them.  It  will 
be  interesting  for  the  student  to  compare  her 
own  muscles,  from  the  thigh  down,  with  the 
muscles  of  any  other  woman  whom  she  knows 
to  be  a  strong,  well-developed  specimen  of  her 
sex. 

The  writer  has  made  a  critical  study  of 
the  muscular  strength  of  not  a  few  specimens. 
Some  have  been  weakest  in  the  upper  leg,  some 
in  the  calf,  and  many  in  the  ankle.  Whichever 
part  of  the  leg  is  weakest  is  the  part  that 
should  receive  the  first  attention.  Yet  no  part 
of  the  body  should  be  neglected.  Wherever 
a  weak  part  is  discovered  it  should  be  made 
stronger. 


CHAPTER   IX 

OBESITY  AND  LEANNESS,  AND   THE   REMEDIES 

WHEN  a  woman  is  dissatisfied  with  her  figure 
this  is  due,  generally,  to  one  of  two  causes. 
Either  she  is  too  lean,  or  she  is  over-stout. 
The  slender  woman  wishes  to  have  more  flesh 
and  roundness  of  form.  The  stout  woman 
wishes  to  become  a  trifle  more  slender.  The 
perfect  figure  in  womanhood  does  not  call 
either  for  slenderness  or  for  stoutness.  There 
should  be  a  happy  compromise  between  the 
two  extremes,  and  it  is  in  this  direction  that 
most  women  wish  to  go  in  physical  develop- 
ment. The  perfect  figure  will  have  sufficient 
symmetry  and  size,  but  there  will  be  neither 
exaggeration  nor  short-coming. 

In  jiu-jitsu  the  over-stout  woman  has  some- 
what the  advantage  in  training  to  the  proper 
figure.  She  can  convert  the  surplus  flesh  into 
muscle,  and  this,  if  done  properly,  without  los- 
126 


Obesity  and  Leanness,  Remedies  127 

ing  any  valuable  line  of  contour.  The  slender 
woman  must  make  herself  more  stout  through 
diet.  Then  she  can  take  the  stout  woman's 
cue,  and  reduce  the  surplus  flesh  to  muscle. 

The  diet  for  the  slender  woman  should  be  an 
oily  one,  although  it  need  not  be  one  where 
food  is  used  in  excessive  quantities.  The 
principal  articles  of  the  diet  should  be  nuts, 
milk,  cream,  butter,  and  oil.  The  latter  may 
be  either  olive  or  cotton-seed  oil,  and  this  is 
used  in  the  form  of  a  dressing  for  salads,  with 
lemon  juice  added  in  the  place  of  vinegar. 
The  bread  that  is  used  should  be  of  rye  or 
graham.  White  bread  gives  practically  no 
nutriment,  and  should  not  be  used.  Most  of 
the  Japanese  do  not  eat  potatoes.  If  these  are 
used  at  all,  they  should  be  very  well  baked. 
Rice,  boiled  in  water  that  starts  at  a  cold  tem- 
perature and  is  allowed  to  come  very  slowly  to 
the  boiling  point,  and  without  much  stirring  of 
the  rice,  makes  a  most  satisfactory  substitute 
for  bread  and  potatoes.  In  the  place  of  meat, 
a  fish,  like  the  cod,  which  is  easily  obtainable 
in  this  country,  furnishes  much  oily  nutri- 
ment. Eggs,  if  they  are  hard-boiled,  will  help 


128  Physical  Training  for  Women 

somewhat  to  fatten.  Cheese  is  an  excellent 
fattener.  While  the  author  does  not  wish  to 
advise  the  use  of  alcohol  in  any  form,  he  can- 
not deny  that  claret,  not  too  sour,  will  aid  in 
the  accumulation  of  flesh.  Ale  will  accomplish 
a  similar  result.  The  student  is  not  advised  to 
add  either  of  these  alcoholic  aids  to  the  diet. 
Even  if  it  is  attempted,  these  forms  of  alcohol 
should  be  avoided  as  soon  as  the  proper  amount 
of  flesh  has  been  secured. 

Parenthetically,  it  may  be  remarked  that  the 
Japanese  are  by  no  means  total  abstainers. 
Yet  very  few  of  them  are  hard  drinkers.  Most 
of  those  who  do  abuse  the  use  of  alcohol  are 
men  who  have  come  into  contact  with  Cau- 
casians and  who,  very  mistakenly,  desire  to  be 
"progressive."  If  my  several  instructors  in 
jiu-jitsu  told  me  the  truth— as  I  am  certain 
that  they  did — not  one  of  them  believed  in  the 
necessity  of  building  up  the  system  by  the  use 
of  alcohol,  unless,  first,  the  need  had  been 
created  by  indulgence.  All  advised  the  build- 
ing up  of  flesh  through  the  use  of  the  oily 
foods. 

When  the  too-slender  woman  has   reached 


Obesity  and  Leanness,  Remedies  129 

the  point  of  over-stoutness,  she  may  take  the 
same  work  that  is  advised  for  her  obese  sister. 
Each  should  strive  to  convert  fat  into  muscle. 
If  the  student  desires  a  severe  diet,  the  break- 
fast should  consist  of  boiled  rice,  with  no  other 
seasoning  than  salt.  Luncheon,  if  possible, 
should  be  omitted.  The  supper  should  be  of 
coarse  barley,  well  boiled.  If  a  luncheon  is 
found  to  be  necessary,  it  should  consist  of  a 
pint  of  milk,  sipped  slowly.  The  Japanese  do 
not  use  much  milk,  as  cattle  are  rare  in  their 
country.  And  it  is  much  better  to  omit  any 
form  of  luncheon. 

The  amount  of  sleep  taken  has  much  to 
do  with  leanness  and  obesity.  The  slender 
woman  who  wishes  to  take  on  flesh  is  advised 
to  take  nine  or  ten  hours  of  rest.  If  she  can- 
not sleep,  she  can,  at  least,  lie  on  her  back  and 
relax.  The  obese  woman  should  content  her- 
self with  no  more  than  six  hours  of  sleep  in 
the  twenty-four.  In  this  matter  each  student 
should  observe  her  requirements,  and  should 
be  a  law  unto  herself.  There  is  no  hard-and- 
fast  law.  For  the  too-slender  woman  the 
maximum  amount  of  rest  should  be  ascertained 


130   Physical  Training  for  Women 

by  experience ;  for  the  obese  woman  the  mini- 
mum amount  of  sleep  must  be  learned. 

No  slender  woman  can  object  with  reason  to 
the  diet  suggested  for  her,  nor  is  she  likely  to 
dislike  the  idea  of  taking  more  sleep.  But  the 
obese  woman  is  very  likely  to  protest  against 
the  notion  of  less  sleep,  she  is  almost  as  certain 
to  object  to  taking  a  diet  of  rice  and  barley. 
This  is  the  most  severe  diet,  but  the  most 
beneficial.  If  the  obese  woman  can  content 
herself  with  slower  reduction  she  will  be  able 
to  vary  one  of  the  meals  by  taking  a  raw  egg 
beaten  up  in  milk — and  without  sugar.  With 
the  rice  she  can  eat  either  stewed  or  fresh  fruit 
— preferably  the  latter — and  with  the  barley,  if 
the  student  is  unable  to  do  without  meat,  she 
can  eat  very  lean  flesh  that  has  been  well 
cooked.  Beans  may  be  used  to  advantage, 
either  by  the  slender  or  the  stout  woman. 

The  exercises  that  are  used  for  the  reduction 
of  obesity  are  based  on  tricks  of  combat.  But, 
when  the  movements  are  done  slowly,  and  with 
a  good  deal  of  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  vic- 
tim, gradual  reduction  of  stoutness  will  result. 
In  combat  work  the  feats  are  performed  with 


Obesity  and  Leanness,  Remedies  131 

the  rapidity  that  may  be  likened  to  the  stroke 
of  lightning.  It  is  not  to  be  advised,  however, 
that  the  student  attempt  serious  attack,  but 
that  the  work  be  taken  slowly  and  resistantly. 

Let  the  two  pupils  stand  facing  each  other, 
each  slightly  at  the  other's  left.  The  assailant 
places  her  left  arm  against  the  front  of  the  vic- 
tim's legs,  just  below  the  crotch.  The  right 
arm  of  the  assailant,  on  the  left  side  of  the  vic- 
tim, is  placed  against  the  back  of  the  latter's 
neck,  the  middle  of  the  forearm  touching. 
With  this  position  taken,  the  assailant  bends 
her  companion  forward,  the  latter  resisting. 
When  the  victim  has  been  taken  as  far  forward 
as  is  possible  she  rises  gradually  to  erect  posi- 
tion, the  assailant  now  resisting  the  return. 

Easier  of  accomplishment  is  the  next  exer- 
cise, which  is  merely  the  reverse  of  the  other. 
As  before,  the  contestants  stand  at  each  other's 
left  side.  Now,  the  assailant  places  her  left 
arm,  at  the  victim's  left,  just  under  the  thighs, 
and  around  both  legs.  At  the  same  time  she 
places  her  right  forearm  against  the  front  of 
her  companion's  neck.  The  victim  is  twisted, 
or  forced,  over  backward,  all  the  time  resisting. 


i32    Physical  Training  for  Women 

Then  the  return  is  made  to  erect  position,  the 
assailant  now  giving  the  resistance. 

Next,  let  the  students  stand  at  the  left  of 
each  other,  and  the  amount  of  distance  between 
them  will  be  indicated  by  the  requirements 
of  the  position.  The  assailant  places  her  left 
hand  on  the  outside  of  the  right  thigh  of  her 
victim,  and  her  right  hand  against  the  left  side 
of  her  victim's  neck. 

When  this  position  has  been  secured  the  vic- 
tim is  forced  over  as  far  as  she  can  go  to  her 
right  side.  Then  the  return  is  made,  the  as- 
sailant now  resisting. 

There  is  an  amusing  form  of  attack  that  may 
be  made,  but  the  description  that  will  be 
offered  now  is  intended,  instead,  as  a  resistant 
exercise.  The  students  confront  each  other, 
and  the  one  who  makes  the  attack  lets  her 
hands  fly  out  suddenly  and  clasps  them  behind 
the  back  of  the  victim's  head.  Then  the  ag- 
gressor pulls  her  companion  forward  on  to  the 
latter's  knees,  or  even  goes  so  far  as  to  throw 
her  flat,  face  downward.  When  the  fall  is  car- 
ried only  as  far  as  to  throw  the  victim  upon  her 
knees,  the  latter  should  try  to  rise,  the  assail- 


Obesity  and  Leanness,  Remedies  133 

ant  resisting.  When  this  work  is  attempted 
merely  for  the  purpose  of  training  muscle  it 
should  be  done  slowly,  and  with  rather  stub- 
born resistance  on  the  part  of  each  contestant. 
There  is  a  hint  to  be  given  that  this  work, 
when  it  has  to  be  used  in  the  way  of  combat, 
can  be  employed  very  profitably  against  a 
burglar,  or  other  intruder,  by  throwing  him 
upon  his  face,  flat,  and  then  falling  so  as  to 
plant  the  knee  in  the  small  of  the  victim's 
back,  and  employing  the  throat-grip  that  has 
been  described  in  the  previous  volume.  If  this 
be  done,  and  if  the  throat-grip  be  applied  with 
sufficient  severity,  the  intruder  will  be  glad  of 
the  arrival  of  the  police. 

If  any  of  the  feats  just  described  are  used  as 
tricks  of  combat  it  is  necessary  that  a  mattress 
or  pad  be  used,  and  care  must  be  taken  that 
none  of  the  ligaments  of  the  legs  are  injured. 
There  is  always  a  possibility  of  injury  when  the 
students  are  not  advanced  sufficiently  in  their 
work.  But,  when  the  work  is  done  slowly  and 
in  the  resistant  way,  there  is  a  gradual  remedy 
for  obesity,  and  without  danger  to  limb. 


CHAPTER  X 

OUR  OUTDOOR  SPORTS  FOR  WOMEN,  AS  SEEN 
FROM  THE  JAPANESE  VIEW-POINT 

IT  must  be  accepted  as  an  axiom  that  there 
can  be  no  such  thing  as  perfect  health  unless 
enough  outdoor  exercise  is  taken.  The  Japan- 
ese have  many  sports  in  the  open  air  that  are 
unknown  in  this  country,  and  a  description  of 
them  is  unnecessary.  We  have  our  own  games 
for  use  in  fresh  air,  and  many  of  them  will 
serve  any  purpose  that  is  to  be  aimed  at.  In 
this  chapter  the  author  will  discuss  American 
and  English  games  from  the  view-point  of  the 
jiu-jitsu  instructor. 

Of  course  the  commonest  form  of  exercise 
is  walking.  Its  importance  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. Many  women  complain  that  they 
cannot  walk  very  far  without  having  tired 
ankles;  others  complain  of  aching  feet,  and 
still  others  of  pain  in  the  back.  A  woman  who 
134 


Our  Outdoor  Sports  for  Women  135 

cannot  walk  five  miles  without  fatigue  may  be 
very  certain  that  she  is  not  a  healthy  woman, 
and  she  should  make  it  her  first  duty  to  become 
one.  A  ten-mile  walk  should  be  an  easy  per- 
formance for  a  healthy  woman,  and  the  strong 
woman  is  capable  of  walking  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  in  a  day. 

In  walking  much  depends  upon  the  shoe. 
In  the  first  place,  it  should  give  an  easy  fit,  be- 
ing neither  too  tight  nor  too  loose.  Any  wo- 
man of  ordinary  intelligence  can  tell  whether 
or  not  a  shoe  fits  her.  If  she  buys  a  shoe  that 
does  not  fit  it  is  her  own  fault  that  she  cannot 
walk  with  pleasure. 

High  heels  do  much  to  interfere  with  the 
pleasure  and  the  health  of  walking.  Such 
heels  are  supposed  to  give  a  more  stylish  form 
of  carriage,  but  they  tilt  the  body  forward  to 
such  an  extent  that  their  use  induces  severe 
trouble  in  some  of  the  internal  organs.  It  is 
true  that  the  Japanese  woman  uses  high  heels 
on  her  shoes,  but  she  uses,  at  the  same  time, 
toe-pieces  of  equal  height.  The  Japanese  shoe 
has  a  block  of  wood  at  the  heel  and  another  at 
the  toes,  and  thus  the  foot  is  left  flat,  with  no 


i36  Physical  Training  for  Women 

tilting  forward.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the 
Japanese  woman,  when  in  the  street,  shuffles 
noisily  along.  In  the  house,  where  she  does 
not  wear  her  shoes  under  any  circumstances, 
she  is  the  personification  of  grace.  She  moves 
about  nimbly  and  prettily,  and  shows  that  her 
seemingly  odd  form  of  foot-gear  has  not  really 
marred  her  action  in  walking. 

It  is  not  the  author's  purpose  to  persuade 
American  and  English  women  to  adopt  the 
Japanese  shoe,  but  the  best  form  of  shoe  for 
use  is  that  which  neither  pinches  nor  is  too 
loose,  with  broad  enough  fronts  and  with  very 
low  heels.  The  fashionable  shoe  is  to  be  con- 
demned for  many  reasons.  It  makes  much 
walking  difficult,  and  it  spoils  the  beauty  of  the 
foot.  Japanese  women  are  able  to  exhibit  very 
pretty  feet. 

Next  in  importance,  in  our  outdoor  recrea- 
tions, comes  rowing.  As  we  practise  it,  this 
is  a  sport  unknown  in  Japan  except  to  men  of 
the  navy  and  to  some  who  serve  on  merchant 
steamers.  The  Japanese  harbour  and  river 
boat  is  the  sampan,  which  is  propelled  by  a 
paddle  whose  shaft  is  shaped  very  much  like  a 


Our  Outdoor  Sports  for  Women  137 

scythe.  The  "oarsman"  seizes  a  pair  of 
handles  and  propels  his  boat  something  as  a 
mower  would  use  the  scythe.  But  rowing 
should  be  followed  faithfully  by  all  American 
and  English  women.  After  a  moment's 
thought  it  will  be  understood  how  thoroughly 
this  work  satisfies  the  requirements  of  jiu-jitsu. 
According  to  the  Japanese  plan  every  muscle 
must  be  resisted  by  a  pressure  in  the  opposite 
direction.  A  very  little  practice  will  show  how 
much  resistance  the  pull  gives  to  the  arm. 

Yet  the  earnest  seeker  after  strength  must  be 
cautioned  not  to  attempt  to  row  with  a  single 
oar.  Each  puller  should  use  two  oars,  and  care 
must  be  taken  that  the  left  arm  is  compelled  to 
perform  fully  as  much  work  as  does  the  right. 
The  best  plan  is  for  two  persons  to  row  to- 
gether, each  using  a  pair  of  oars.  Boating 
work  should  be  kept  up  assiduously  all  through 
the  season.  The  best  plan  is  to  row  for  an 
hour  in  the  morning  before  breakfast.  The 
woman  who  lives  near  a  stream  or  a  lake,  and 
who  does  not  row,  has  much  for  which  to  blame 
herself. 

Golf  is  one  of  the  best  exercises  that  can  be 


138    Physical  Training  for  Women 

taken  on  land.  First  of  all,  it  makes  one  walk. 
In  the  next  place,  it  requires  bendings  of  the 
body  and  demands  much  arm  work.  But  there 
is  one  suggestion  to  be  offered  that  will  make 
much  for  strength,  and  which,  at  the  same 
time,  will  increase  the  striking  force.  In 
too  many  cases  a  blow  is  used  where  the 
shoulder  is  thrown  back  and  the  hand  is  not 
thrown  back  over  the  shoulder.  In  every  case 
where  it  is  practicable  it  is  advisable  to  make 
the  arm  perform  a  complete  revolution.  The 
idea  can  be  caught  when  the  student  stands 
with  one  hand  at  the  side.  Throw  it  forward, 
up  and  over  the  head,  back  of  the  body,  and 
around  to  starting  position.  The  movement 
should  be  a  complete  swing  of  the  arm  around 
over  the  head,  and  the  student  who  follows  this 
will  find  that  many  of  the  strokes  employed  in 
golf  are  delivered  more  effectively.  Both  for 
strength  and  for  expertness  it  will  be  found  of 
value  to  follow  out  this  suggestion. 

Tennis,  also,  is  a  sport  that  should  be  fol- 
lowed. It  has  fallen  into  undeserved  unpopu- 
larity, for  the  reason  that  some  physicians  have 
contended  that  the  springing  and  jumping 


Our  Outdoor  Sports  for  Women  139 

necessary  work  harm  to  some  of  the  internal 
organs.  The  only  answer  to  this  contention  is 
that,  when  a  woman  finds  herself  unable  to 
play  tennis  without  injury,  then  it  is  a  certain 
sign  that  she  has  not  attended  sufficiently 
to  her  physical  development.  The  normally 
healthy  woman  should  be  able  to  endure  an 
hour's  practice  at  tennis  at  any  time.  If  she 
is  unable  to  do  this,  then  she  should  employ 
all  of  the  exercises  described  in  the  foregoing 
chapters,  and  should  take  them  up  in  very 
gradual  succession,  doing  them  moderately 
and  devoting  many  months  to  the  training. 

Work  with  the  "skipping  rope"  will  do 
much  to  help  very  young  girls,  as  well  as 
women  who  have  grown  to  adult  age.  I  am 
aware  that  many  physicians  object  to  this  form 
of  exercise,  and  they  are  right  in  making  such 
objection.  The  trouble  is  that  the  girl  has 
been  allowed  to  grow  without  any  especial  at- 
tention being  paid  to  her  bodily  structure. 
The  boy  goes  out  and  engages  in  wrestling, 
foot  -  ball,  base  -  ball,  running,  rowing,  and 
everything  else.  The  girl  is  taught  to  stay  at 
home  and  to  be  graceful.  One  of  the  greatest 


140   Physical  Training  for  Women 

crimes  that  parents  can  commit  is  to  persuade 
a  daughter  to  follow  any  course  that  will  make 
her  less  healthy  than  her  brother.  The  daugh- 
ter who  is  trained  properly  in  physical  work 
will  be  much  more  likely  to  live  to  old  age, 
and  through  doing  so,  and  through  having  the 
possession  of  sheer  good  health,  she  will  double 
her  parents'  pleasure  in  possessing  her. 

It  is  a  chivalrous  thing  for  a  man  to  insist 
that  his  wife  or  daughter  shall  not  bring  up  a 
scuttle  of  coal  from  the  cellar,  and  for  him  to 
perform  all  that  work  himself.  But  it  is  a 
splendid  thing  for  the  "head  of  the  family"  to 
persuade  his  wife  and  daughter  to  reach  that 
stage  of  physical  development  where  they  will 
not  mind  bringing  up  two  scuttles  at  any  time 
when  it  is  necessary  so  to  do.  The  woman  has 
cause  for  shame  who  is  forced  to  admit  that  any 
man  of  her  own  size  is  her  physical  superior. 

Two  closing  suggestions  will  be  offered  on 
the  subject  of  outdoor  sports.  When  the 
weather  is  too  inclement  either  of  them  may 
be  practised  indoors,  but  in  each  case  the  pre- 
ference is  to  be  given  to  outdoor  work.  A 
Japanese  instructor  would  pronounce  basket- 


Our  Outdoor  Sports  for  Women  141 

ball  to  be  an  exercise  of  great  value,  especially 
if  it  be  carried  on  in  the  open  air.  The  value 
of  wrestling  can  be  hardly  overestimated,  but 
in  this  exercise  there  is  some  danger  of  over- 
zealousness.  It  is  highly  advisable  to  take  up 
wrestling,  but  one  should  make  sure  of  having 
a  fully  competent  instructor.  Wrestling  gives 
too  much  opportunity  to  break  bones  or  to  in- 
jure muscles,  if  the  pupil  be  ignorant  of  the  art 
and  of  the  principles  of  anatomy.  The  new 
system  of  wrestling  devised  by  Mr.  Bernarr 
Macfadden,  editor  of  Physical  Culture,  is  best 
suited  to  the  needs  of  American  girls  and 
women  who  are  obliged  to  take  up  wrestling  as 
a  means  of  exercise.  Many  of  the  feats  de- 
scribed in  this  volume  will  furnish  ideas  in  the 
way  of  safe  wrestling. 

The  girl  or  woman  who  wishes  to  develop 
her  body  to  its  utmost  should  not  fail  to  take 
up  wrestling,  first  making  sure  that  she  is  not 
doing  any  work  that  can  injure  herself  or  her 
antagonist.  The  Japanese  woman  who  has 
followed  a  jiu-jitsu  course  to  its  end  is  an  ex- 
pert wrestler,  and  possesses  all  the  agility, 
grace,  and  strength  that  any  woman  can  desire. 


CHAPTER   XI 
SLEEP  AND  ITS  VALUE 

THERE  cannot  be  too  much  emphasis  laid  on 
the  importance  of  sleep  at  the  proper  hours. 
And  the  Japanese  insist  upon  all  the  regularity 
that  is  possible  in  the  way  of  retiring  and  rising 
hours. 

It  must  be  a  matter  of  individual  experience 
as  to  what  hours  are  best  for  sleep.  A  broad- 
side statement  may  be  made  that  the  average 
Japanese,  man  or  woman,  retires  at  about  nine 
in  the  evening,  and  rises  at  five,  or  shortly 
after,  in  the  morning.  This  would  signify  that 
the  average  amount  of  rest  should  be  some- 
thing like  eight  hours  in  the  twenty-four.  If 
the  rest  must  be  had  in  the  daytime  the  stay 
in  bed  should  occupy  more  time,  but  few 
women  are  under  the  necessity  of  employment 
through  the  night. 

If  there  be  insomnia— which  is  rare  in  Japan 
142 


Sleep  and  Its  Value          143 

— \hzjiu-jitsu  student  is  advised  to  sit  up  until 
an  hour  later  than  formerly  indicating  the  hour 
of  retiring.  In  other  words,  the  student  must 
sit  up  until  she  is  thoroughly  tired.  Then  she 
may  go  to  bed,  and,  if  necessary,  may  sleep 
later  in  the  morning.  As  a  rule,  it  is  much 
better  for  insomniacs  to  arise  when  it  is  realised 
that  the  tour  of  rest  is  finished. 

It  is  difficult  to  prescribe  rules  as  to  rest.  In 
this  matter  the  student  must  use  her  own  in- 
telligence to  a  great  degree.  "Tired  nature's 
sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep,"  is  a  matter  that 
cannot  be  gauged  by  a  standard.  Some  wo- 
men are  able  to  get  along  comfortably  with  six 
hours  of  rest.  Others  require  anywhere  from 
seven  to  ten.  The  thin  and  nervous  woman 
requires  anywhere  from  eight  to  ten  hours  in 
bed.  As  a  rule  she  does  not  get  this  amount 
of  repose,  and  suffers  as  a  consequence.  Often 
the  stout  and  phlegmatic  woman  can  do  with 
six  hours  of  rest.  She  will  not  content  herself 
with  this,  and  therefore  becomes  more  stout. 
Food,  too,  has  much  to  do  with  stoutness  or 
slimness,  as  has  been  explained  in  a  preceding 
chapter. 


144   Physical  Training  for  Women 

From  this  view-point  it  will  follow  that  the 
over-stout  woman  should  not  over-indulge  her- 
self either  in  the  way  of  sleep  or  of  diet.  The 
thin  and  nervous  woman  should  take  more 
sleep,  and  should  keep  to  an  oily  diet.  For 
those  who  cannot  sleep  when  sleep  is  needed  it 
should  be  suggested  that  lying  in  bed,  prefer- 
ably on  the  back,  brings  rest  in  itself.  But  the 
hour  of  rising  should  be  observed  with  a  very 
close  approach  to  the  idea  of  regularity.  A 
hint  as  to  the  hour  for  going  to  bed  may  be  had 
from  the  Japanese  notion  that  one  should  not 
eat  until  he  is  hungry.  There  is  little  sense  in 
one's  retiring  until  he  is  sleepy,  although,  in 
cases  of  exhaustion,  it  is  well  to  lie  down  and 
rest,  even  though  unable  to  sleep. 

The  best  indications  of  the  proper  habits  of 
sleep  are  to  be  found  in  instances  of  healthy 
childhood.  The  child  is  put  to  bed  soon  after 
dark,  and  is  aroused  only  when  the  breakfast 
hour  comes.  The  child  is  a  healthy  sleeper. 
Cases  of  insomnia  in  childhood  are  rare  any- 
where. This  is  because  the  child  is  sent  to  bed 
at  an  early  hour.  Older  persons,  who  have 
worries  and  cares,  do  not  sleep  as  well.  While 


Sleep  and  Its  Value          145 

insomniacs  may  have  to  remain  up  late  in  order 
to  get  final  sleep,  the  habit  of  retiring  early 
should  be  cultivated. 

For  women  who  are  able  to  sleep  at  any  hour 
that  they  retire  it  cannot  be  questioned  that 
the  best  hours  for  sleep  are  between  nine  in  the 
evening  and  six  in  the  morning.  They  go  to 
bed  tired,  and  wake  up  refreshed.  An  hour's 
nap  in  the  daytime  is  often  of  great  benefit. 

There  is  another  cause  of  peaceful  sleep  that 
is  of  great  value  in  the  life  of  the  Japanese 
woman.  She  never  neglects  her  ordinary  social 
duties,  and  the  necessity  for  recreation  is  kept 
always  in  mind.  Even  the  poorest  woman, 
who  has  spent  her  day  at  toil  in  company  with 
her  husband  and  children,  goes  to  the  bath  at 
night.  She  cleanses  herself,  dresses  for  the 
evening,  and,  after  supper,  goes  out  to  meet 
her  friends.  Whenever  he  can  do  so  the  hus- 
band goes  with  her.  In  the  warmer  months  of 
the  year  meetings  between  friends  often  take 
place  in  the  streets,  where,  under  the  dainty 
glow  of  the  paper  lanterns,  the  scene  makes 
the  foreign  visitor  think  of  the  tales  he  has 
read  of  fairy-land.  When  two  Japanese 


146    Physical  Training  for  Women 

women  meet  compliments  are  exchanged,  and 
each  bows  in  turn  in  acknowledgment.  In  it- 
self, this  deep  bowing  is  not  a  bad  form  of 
physical  training.  As  an  average  meeting  with 
a  friend  calls  for  anywhere  from  twelve  to 
twenty  bowings,  and  as  any  Japanese  woman 
who  goes  out  for  an  evening's  walk  is  certain 
to  meet  several  friends,  it  can  be  understood 
how  much  exercise  the  national  habit  of  paying 
compliments,  and  of  bowing  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  each  one,  has  to  do  with  the  Japanese 
physique. 

As  soon  as  she  has  had  her  short  evening  of 
recreation  the  Japanese  woman  who  does  not 
belong  to  the  official — social — class  goes  home 
and  retires,  well-prepared  for  rest.  In  Tokio, 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  women  are  not 
seen  on  the  streets  in  great  numbers,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock  they  are  passed  but  rarely  by 
the  tourist  who  takes  a  stroll  along  the  length 
of  several  blocks.  At  this  hour  the  Japanese 
woman  almost  invariably  is  at  home  and  in 
bed,  sleeping  as  sweetly  and  healthfully  as 
does  her  child. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE  AGE  AT  WHICH  GIRLS  SHOULD   BEGIN 
THE  STUDY  OF  JIU-JITSU 

THE  question  suggested  by  the  heading  of 
this  chapter  is  a  vital  one  for  the  consideration 
of  a  mother  who  has  a  daughter.  The  answer 
to  the  question  is  simple  enough :  The  training 
in  jiu-jitsu  should  begin  just  as  soon  as  the 
little  girl  is  old  enough  to  receive  instruction 
intelligently.  Where  it  is  possible  it  is  highly 
essential  that  she  have  an  opponent  of  nearly 
her  own  size. 

Physical  training  should  begin  at  birth.  In 
Japan  it  does,  when  the  parents  are  wise.  The 
tiny  baby  may  be  started  in  at  once  with  mas- 
sage after  the  morning  bath.  As  the  child  be- 
comes older  the  massage  should  be  increased 
somewhat  in  seventy.  At,  or  before,  the  age 
of  one  year,  it  should  be  possible  to  swing  the 
child  by  one  ankle,  and  to  lift  by  a  grip  under 


148   Physical  Training  for  Women 

either  shoulder.  The  mother  who  is  at  all  anx- 
ious on  this  subject  will  be  surprised  at  find- 
ing out  how  much  the  healthy  child  enjoys  the 
exertion. 

When  a  sufficiently  strong  grip  is  employed 
on  the  ankle  bone  the  leg  may  be  twisted  over, 
gently,  first  outward  and  then  inward.  Of 
course  a  year-old  child  will  not  know  enough 
to  resist,  but  the  resistance  will  develop  after  a 
little.  Much  depends  upon  the  amount  of 
pressure  exerted  on  this  twist  of  the  leg,  but  a 
careful  mother,  who  remembers  the  rule  of 
"moderation,"  will  make  no  mistake.  The 
arms  may  be  treated  in  the  same  manner. 

The  sickly  babe  must  be  handled  with  more 
carefulness  and  gentleness  than  is  necessary 
with  the  healthy  one ;  but  the  very  fact  that  a 
child  is  sickly  shows  the  necessity  for  the  em- 
ployment of  physical  training.  There  should 
never  be  any  hesitation  about  the  use  of  physi- 
cal training  for  a  sickly  child.  The  very  con- 
dition of  weakliness  indicates  the  vital  need  of 
exercise,  increasing  very  gradually  in  severity 
as  gain  in  strength  and  in  general  condition  is 
noted. 


Age  to  Begin  Study          149 

Whether  sickly  or  healthy,  in  clement 
weather,  the  child  should  be  out-of-doors  as 
much  as  is  possible.  The  matter  of  clothing 
depends  upon  the  constitution  of  the  child.  It 
may  be  warm  or  light,  according  to  the  child 
and  to  the  weather;  but,  even  when  the 
weather  is  cold  and  the  clothing  somewhat 
heavy,  care  should  be  taken  that  the  garments 
are  so  made  and  put  on  that  there  is  always 
free  circulation  of  air  over  the  body.  Thick 
"bundling"  is  even  more  injurious  to  the 
bodily  condition  of  a  child  than  it  is  to  the 
reasonably  healthy  adult. 

Many  mothers  attempt  to  curb  the  frequent 
desire  of  a  child  for  a  drink  of  water.  It  is 
hard  to  imagine  how  a  greater  crime  against 
health  can  be  committed.  The  healthy  body 
craves  water.  A  strong  child,  with  a  natural 
stomach,  will  know  just  when  she  wants  water, 
and  she  should  have  it  always  when  she  calls 
for  it,  and  in  any  quantity  in  which  she  needs 
it.  It  is  not  necessary — or  even  best — that  a 
child  should  have  iced  water,  merely  because 
she  prefers  it  in  that  form,  but  it  should 
be  always  cool.  In  summer  a  simple  way  of 


150    Physical  Training  for  Women 

keeping  the  water  just  cool  enough  is  to  bottle 
some  and  put  it  away  in  the  ice-box.  The  bot- 
tles do  not  need  to  come  into  exact  contact 
with  the  ice,  and  thus  the  water  will  be  cool 
without  being  ice-cold. 

At  what  age  should  girls  take  up  the  jiu-jitsu 
exercises  described  in  this  book?  My  sugges- 
tion would  be  that  some  girls  begin  at  the  age 
of  four,  and  others  at  the  age  of  five.  In  other 
words,  much  depends  upon  the  constitution  of 
the  child,  and  upon  her  ability  to  comprehend 
the  instruction.  Very  seldom  is  a  little  girl 
without  a  chum  of  her  own  age  and  size.  The 
mothers  should  act  as  instructors,  and  the 
fathers  should  sit  by  as  good-natured  referees. 
It  is  worth  the  while  of  both  parents  to  devote 
the  time  that  is  needed  for  the  building  up  of 
the  bodily  strength  of  their  child. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  training  of  a  baby 
girl  it  is  better  that  not  more  than  ten  minutes 
be  spent  in  a  single  bout,  but  there  should  be 
two  of  these  bouts  each  day.  All  of  the  exer- 
cises described  in  these  chapters  should  be 
taken  up  in  order,  one  at  a  time,  and  with  no 
attempt  at  haste.  With  a  child  of  four  or  five 


Age  to  Begin  Study          151 

the  first  six  exercises  will  be  found  enough  for 
use  during  the  first  six  months  of  the  training. 
The  practice  bout  may  be  extended  in  length, 
very  gradually,  until  the  girl  of  twelve  who  be- 
gan her  study  of  jiu-jitsu  at  the  age  of  five 
should  be  the  physical  superior  of  any  girl  of 
sixteen  who  has  never  attempted  the  work.  It 
would  be  a  matter  of  ease  to  find  twelve-year- 
old  Japanese  girls  who  would  be  capable  of 
throwing  a  sixteen-year-old  American  girl  over 
the  head. 

Any  form  of  outdoor  play  that  does  not  in- 
volve serious  danger  of  accident  should  be  en- 
couraged. The  child  who  is  kept  indoors  in 
clement  weather  will  never  grow  up  with  the 
fullest  amount  of  strength.  If  the  child  is  in- 
clined to  mope  within  walls  she  should  be 
driven  out-of-doors.  For  a  child  there  is  no 
way  in  which  health  may  be  gained  as  quickly 
as  by  romping  out-of-doors  in  the  fresh  air. 

In  closing,  this  suggestion  will  be  offered :  A 
child  of  fourteen  should  be  the  physical  su- 
perior, after  jiu-jitsu  training  from  the  age  of 
five,  of  her  adult  sister  as  we  see  her  to-day. 
A  girl  of  sixteen,  after  eleven  years  of  training, 


152    Physical  Training  for  Women 

should  be  capable  of  taking  creditable  part  in 
any  revival  of  the  Olympian  games. 

Until,  however,  one  is  strong  enough  to 
stand  great  exertion  one  should  pay  strict  at- 
tention to  the  final  warning : 

GREAT  MODERATION  IN  ALL  EXERCISES  ! 


THE   END 


Physical  Training 
for  Women 

according  to 

Japanese  Methods 


By  H.  IRVING  HANCOCK. 

AutKor    of     "Japanese    PHysical     Training."    etc. 

i2mo.      With  32  illustrations.      Net,  $1.25 
(By  mail,  $1.35) 

One  of  the  phrases  that  should  be  stricken  from 
the  English  language  is  "  the  weaker  sex."  In 
Japan  the  women  are  no  weaker  than  men,  and  in 
this  country  they  have  no  right  to  be. 

This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Japanese  women 
exercise  in  substantially  the  same  way  as  the  men, 
and  devote  fully  as  much  time  to  the  endeavor  of 
gaining  and  maintaining  strength. 

From  remote  antiquity,  there  has  existed  in 
Japan  a  system  of  training  for  the  body,  known 
as  jiu-jitsu.  Ultimately  jiu-jitsu  is  a  highly 
scientific  system  of  rapid  and  convincing 
attack  and  defense.  Before  the  stage  of 
combat  is  reached,  however,  much  work 
must  be  devoted  to  acquiring  a  knowledge 
of  the  nerves  and  muscles,  such  as  comes 
from  well-sustained  preliminary  practice. 

Send  for  Illustrated  Circular, 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK.  LONDON 


JIU-JITSU 

Ji\I-JitS\l  is  the  Japanese  method  of  Physical 

Training. 
Jiu-JitSU  has  been  practised  by  the  Japanese 

for  2500  years. 
Ji\l-Jits\l  means  "muscle  breaking." 

Jiu-JitSU  is  easily  learnt. 

Ji\l-JitS\l  helps  the  weak  to  master  the  strong. 

For  further  information  see  H.  IRVING  HANCOCK'S 
timely  book, 

Japanese    PKysical 
Training 

(Jiu.Jitsu) 

i2mo,  with  19    full-page    illustrations,   net   $1.25 
(postage  ice.) 

The  Pall  Mall  Gazette  makes  these  points  in  its  review  of 
this  most  opportune  book  : 

1.  "A  work  that  every  one  should  make  a  point  of 

reading. 

2.  "  A  text-book  possessing  much  of  the  fascination 

of  a  good  novel. 

3.  "  No  one  is  likely  to  read  the  first  chapter  with- 

out becoming  fired  with  a  consuming  desire 
to  go  right  through  the  book." 

Send  for  Illustrated  Circular, 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK.  LONDON 


THIS  BOOK  T 


AN  INI" 

WILL  BE 

THIS 

DAY 


rj 
I 
LD9-20m-6,'61  (C631. 


